Great Possibilities
by Kimi03
Summary: His plan was totally ridiculous, she's seen this plot in many bad movies. It was stupid, idiotic, with a 99% chance of failure…"I'll do it."
1. Chapter 1

Hello! After _**Blind Date**_ _s_ ome of you asked me to share any Snowbarry ideas that I had and for some reason they've been the only cuties I've been able to write about lately. I don't know what I'm doing or why I'm doing it. All I know is that I wanted to share this story with you.

 **Disclaimer** : None of the characters are mine they belong to the CW & DC. Doesn't mean I can't have fun with them though.

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 _ **Great Possibilities**_

 _ **Iris West & Eddie Thawne**_

 _Request the pleasure of your company_

 _At the celebration of their wedding_

Barry read the invitation for the umpteenth time. Iris, his Iris was marrying another man. They dated for five years and now she was marrying Eddie-Frickin'-Thawne. Okay, granted they dated in high school and broke up after their freshman year in college, still. This was a big deal. It was his high school sweetheart we are talking about here. He hoped to relive his parents' stories who ended up marrying their high school sweethearts –each other.

Now that dream was gone.

Life just wasn't fair.

Just as he was going to view the results of a blood sample he heard his phone buzz. It was a call from his friend Caitlin Snow. Perfect timing.

"Hey Cait, what's going on? You hate calling people," She was such an introvert at times that 95% of the time she would just text people, unless there was a _real_ emergency.

" _Barry, I hate asking this from you but could you bring me feminine napkins on your way back. I'm not feeling well,"_ her voice was wobbly.

Poor Cait, it always broke his heart when he heard her suffering. Especially during that _time of the month_. She either felt extremely well and went on about her day like nothing was wrong in the world or she felt nausea, cramps, headaches, body pains, and everything in between. This month was definitely a one of the bad months.

"Sure thing. Which kind?" He said as he put his samples away and started to close up the lab. This was an emergency after all.

"Long and slim ones, orange wrapped,"

"You got it. I'll be there in about 30 minutes," This wasn't the first time the woman asked him for these types of things. In fact, many people thought they acted like an old married couple considering their levels of intimacy. They just couldn't accept that a man and a woman were extraordinary friends. Sure it wasn't usual, but things with Caitlin never were.

As he drove to the nearest store he smiled thinking about how they met.

8 years ago...

 _Iris had just broken up with Barry saying that they needed time and things weren't the same anymore. The spark was gone, she said. Barry was dumbfounded, he adored her. He would do anything she wanted just to make her happy, but that wasn't enough._

 _After one bittersweet kiss Iris left with a suitcase in tow, ready to take her flight to New York, she had been accepted into a prestigious journalism program and didn't hesitate to jump at the opportunity. Unfortunately, she wasn't a believer in long distance relationships and didn't want Barry on standby just for her. This was the best for the both of them._

 _Barry sighed, watching his longtime girlfriend...ex-girlfriend...walk away without a backward glance. He turned the opposite way and started to walk back to his dorm. This was officially the worst day of his life, now he understood when people said life sucked. He saw an empty bench and sat himself dejectedly. He just couldn't understand what he had done wrong. One day they were laughing and sharing dreams about their life after college, and the next she's telling him that she needs to live her own life and explore beyond Central City...and him._

 _He let out another sigh, this time a frustrated one, but his inner musings were interrupted by another person who sat next to him. This really annoyed him, couldn't the person see that he_ _ **needed**_ _to be alone right now? He didn't have time for interruptions here. The college freshmen eyed this mysterious person suspiciously, hoping the telepathic message of 'leave me alone' would make its way._

 _Meanwhile, mysterious person X took out a bag of chips from a Wal-Mart bag and handed it to him while taking one as well._

 _This made Barry turn and take a quick glance at this person and wasn't impressed by the typical college student before him. This stranger looked like a guy who had just gotten out of bed, wearing black sweatpants, an oversized hoodie, dark rimmed glasses, and a CCU beanie that was bulky due to all the hair under it. After a few seconds of analysis, he took the chips and figured this guy couldn't do any harm._

" _Women suck," he said while popping a handful of chips in his mouth. "I mean, we had our whole lives ahead of us, and she leaves me,"_

 _The guy nodded and looked into the plastic bag once again pulling out a tissue box, opening it, and handing it over to him._

 _Barry looked at it strange "What?" he said with a high pitched voice, totally not what he intended._

 _The guy didn't say anything and began to eat some chips._

" _It's not like I'm going to cry over a girl, am I right?" he said with faked bravado, "She can do whatever she wants! So will I!" yeah, that was right. Forget girls, they're the worst._

 _The stranger still said nothing and continued eating the salty goodies._

" _I mean…"he huffed, but his voice started to break,_ _ **'damn Iris,'**_ _he thought to himself. "It's not like she's the only girl out there. Okay, yeah, sure she was my first girlfriend, and I had this life plan for us, but come on!" And then the water-works started. He couldn't stop himself, life just wasn't fair for him. What had he done wrong?_

 _He cried about Iris, he cried about life, and he proclaimed to hate all women in the world (except for his mom of course). Yes, he was crying, and yes it wasn't manly, but he was with a guy whom he didn't know and probably would never see again, so it didn't matter. After a while the tears subsided (the tissues had come in handy after all), "thanks man, I needed that," he did feel much better after all._

 _The stranger nodded once again and got up getting ready to leave._

" _Wait!" he inadvertently took the person's arm and he dropped his Wal-Mart bags revealing a whole selection of feminine products._

 _They both looked at the items on the concrete floor and Barry knelt picking up a packet of feminine pads and looked up to the guy in front of him, finally taking a good look at this stranger, "You...you're...a girl!"_

 _The stranger, now properly identified as a girl, took the pads and picked up the rest of her things, "I never said I wasn't," she said matter of factly._

 _Great. This was exactly what he needed to end his evening on the best note, "You didn't say anything!" Barry's face started to turn red in hot embarrassment, he made a fool of himself in front of a stranger, a girl no less. Why couldn't he be hit by a lightning bolt right about now?_

" _I figured you were the one that needed to talk," there wasn't a trace of embarrassment or judgement in her eyes._

 _And the rest was history._

{-}

Barry stepped into the apartment using the spare key that Caitlin had given him, "Your knight in shining armor has arrived,"

Caitlin was lying on her couch looking pale and disheveled, "You're finally here, thank goodness,"

He gave her a sympathetic smile and left the items on her kitchen table, making a turn to the kitchen to make her some tea.

Caitlin got up and dragged herself to the table pulling out the contents from the plastic bag, "You brought me a heat patch," she said appreciatively, "you shouldn't have,"

"I know they really help," he pulled the tea cup, now hot, from the microwave and looked for the honey.

Her eyes started to get moist, how she hated her hormones right now, "Barry,"

He turned to her while stirring the honey.

"I love you," and with that she headed to the restroom not noticing how her friend's stirring motion stopped after her words.

As Caitlin retreated, Barry smiled to himself.

She came back finding Barry setting two cups on the table and taking a seat on the couch, the same one she was resting on earlier.

"Special Allen blend?" She took the cup enjoying the smell of her tea.

"Only the best for you,"

"What would I do without you?" She gave him a warm smile, despite looking nauseous. "What's that?" She asked, taking notice of an envelope sticking out of his jacket.

"Oh," he pulled it and handed it to her, "wait til you see it,"

Caitlin took the envelope and opened it seeing the letter _I &E_ engraved in golden lettering, "Iris West and Eddie Thawne request your…" she stopped reading out loud and finished scanning the invitation with her eyes, "she's getting married," she murmured to herself and looked at Barry with concern. She was fully aware that he had carried a torch for her all these years and still harbored the hope of one day getting back together.

"Yeah," he said softly, lacing his hands together and releasing a self-deprecating chuckle, "I couldn't believe it. I mean, I thought after she came back from New York two years ago we would rekindle our relationship. Obviously, I was wrong," Sure Iris had dated Eddie in New York but he didn't think they would last, she said she couldn't do long distance relationships, but she waited a year before Eddie was finally transferred to Central City.

"I'm sorry Barry," and she really was. Barry was the most honest, open, and loving person she had ever met. If there was someone that deserved to be happy that was one Barry Allen.

Barry hung his head low for a few moments and then snapped it back up with an ear splitting grin, "But I have a plan," he said with conviction.

" _Uh oh, I don't think I'm going to like it,"_

"And I'm going to need your help," he took her hands in his and met her hazel eyes with a smug grin, "marry me,"

Caitlin raised an eyebrow, "Excuse me?"

He shook his head, "That came out wrong. Pretend to be my fiancé," his face full of determination and hope.

"Uhm, Barry, why?" she asked as she tried to pull her hands away -unsuccessfully because her friend held them in place.

"Look, I have to go there a week before the wedding to help with all the arrangements," Barry had filled Caitlin in on the West-Allen legendary friendship and how both families did everything together. Surely his mother was involved in the wedding as she acted as a pseudo mother to Iris, who had lost her own when she was very young. It was no surprise to the families when the two children started dating, what was surprising was their eventual rupture.

"Right, and why do I have to pretend to be your fiancé?"

"I can't go there by myself, I'll look like a big time loser in front of her," he couldn't have that. Besides, even though Iris had never met Caitlin, Barry had told her all about her, in fact they talked about the doctor quite often.

"Right," she said once again still not convinced, "but it's not like you want to make her jealous and try to break up her wedding, I mean that's ridicu-"

"That's exactly what I'm doing,"

" _He lost it,"_ Caitlin thought to herself.

"The reason why Iris is marrying Eddie is because she's always had me in her back pocket, if I show her that I'm not available, she'll want to have me back and goodbye Eddie Thawne,"

"How many trashy romantic comedies have you seen lately?" she eyed him suspiciously, wondering if he was ill.

"Does it matter? I can assure you this will work!"

"Barry you're acting like a child. If Iris is marrying Eddie it's probably because she loves him, don't you think?"

The CSI softened his grip and his semblance deflated, "Caitlin I need to try _something_ , I can't go down without a fight, Iris is the woman of my dreams," he looked at her seriously, hoping to convey his feelings and desperation to his longtime friend.

His plan was totally ridiculous, she's seen this plot in many bad movies. It was stupid, idiotic, with a 99% chance of failure…

"I'll do it,"

"You will!" This was great! He hugged her tightly, "You are the most amazing woman I've ever met Caitlin Snow,"

She patted his back, "I know,"

{x}

 _Can we pretend that this is like...Earth-47 or something?_

 _I have a million other pressing things to do, but here I am writing about these two. Ugh…darn you inspiration! Coming at the worst possible time._

 _Anyway, for those that enjoy Snowbarry, here is another story about our two adorable dorks._

 _ **WARNING**_ _: There may be an overflow of romance and sweetness…read at your own risk._

 _Love,  
Kim_


	2. Chapter 2

_**.**_

 _ **.**_

 _ **.**_

 _ **Great Possibilities**_

Caitlin was not the nervous type. In fact her motto to any embarrassing moment in life was: _in the grand scheme of things this won't matter, let's skip the awkwardness and move on_. But today she was finding it really hard to do that. She'd never met Barry's family before and she wasn't sure if she should or could act any different for this façade. She'd told Barry that it would be very hard for her to be different than her normal and he simply told her not to worry about that, to just be herself. Thankfully, Barry had trained her on everything she needed to know about his family, the Wests, and what he knew of Iris and Eddie. She still thought this was one of the dumbest things he's ever done (and her for that matter) but her loyalty as a friend had always been strong to a fault and she would support him in this crazy adventure if that made him happy.

"Cait, we're here," Barry whispered in her ear and they began their walk to his home. Once they were in front of the door he knocked and within two minutes a beautiful woman came to receive her guests.

"My baby!" exclaimed a beautiful Nora Allen who pulled Barry in a hug but quickly dismissed him to the side and turned to the woman she had been dying to meet for a long time now, "And you must be Caitlin Snow,"

"Yes," Caitlin said eyeing Barry briefly and extending her hand to the woman, this shouldn't be too hard "pleasure to meet you Mrs. Allen,"

Nora pushed Caitlin's hand away and pulled her into a tight hug, "Nonsense, we're practically family Caitlin, call me Nora" she said ecstatic, "I'm still mad at Bar for being so secretive and just _now_ letting me know you were officially engaged," she gave a reproachful look to her son, "but I'm glad to finally meet you. Bar has told me all about you darling,"

Caitlin turned to Barry not sure what to do as she was being pulled inside the house by the beautiful redhead.

Barry saw the exchange and shook his head, oh his mother never changed.

"I hope he's told you good things," the doctor took a seat in the living room.

"Only the best. He gushes about you all the time," she beamed at the couple in front of her, they complemented each other so well. "He's always talking about Caitlin this and Caitlin that, he's so proud of you, like you couldn't believe,"

"Mom!" She was embarrassing him!

She turned to him faking surprise, "What? It's true, isn't it?"

Barry turned to Caitlin and quickly amended, "She's blowing it out of proportion," somehow it made him flustered that Caitlin heard this. It's not like he talked about her all the time like his mom said.

Caitlin nodded, "I see," her face seemed stoic to an outsider, but Barry could tell that she was happy to hear those things. He was good at reading her micro expressions, and that made him calm himself a little. She took a sip of her water and then turned to Mrs. Allen, or rather Nora as she preferred to be called, "I've heard a lot about you too. Barry has told me that you and Dr. Allen, share a very heartwarming love story,"

Nora brought a hand to her cheek reminiscing on those beautiful memories, "It was fate I think, I was very lucky to be with my Henry,"

As much as Caitlin complained about romantic movies or books, Barry knew she was a romantic at heart. He couldn't help but smile at how enthralled the young woman looked at his mom while she told her the story. He had been very lucky to find her, or rather she found him, the point was that he would forever be grateful for her friendship. He loved many things about the young doctor: her infallible loyalty, her willingness and ability to help those around her, how she always gave of herself to others (sometimes too much), and those rare moments where she would smile at him with that special twinkle in her eyes and look at him as if he were a hero, her hero.

"Barry dear, could you go help your dad, I think he just came back from his fishing trip with Joe,"

He need not be told twice and headed to help the men.

Nora waited until Barry disappeared out of sight, "So,"

Caitlin turned to Nora, "Yes?"

"How did you two meet?" It was Nora's turned to hear their story.

"Oh," Caitlin took her a long sip of her water, buying herself some time. Would it embarrass Barry if she told his mom how they had met? They hadn't really rehearsed this part. "Well…" Maybe she could avoid a few details for his sake.

"Hey Nora!" Came a feminine voice from the entrance.

Both Nora and Caitlin turned to the source of the voice and Caitlin saw in the flesh the woman that held Barry's affections. A woman in her late twenties with perfect ebony skin, expressive brown eyes, and a confident wide grin stepped in holding a bouquet in her hands. Now she understood why Barry was so head over heels for her, the girl was perfection in a human being.

"Iris! Please come take a seat, I want you to meet someone,"

Iris stepped in putting away a big bouquet of flowers for her wedding. She sat next to Mrs. Allen and looked at the new person in front of her with curious eyes. She couldn't deny that there was a certain charm behind those hazel eyes. While the woman didn't look too expressive, Iris would be a fool not to notice her beauty. "Hi I'm Iris,"

Caitlin stood up and extended her hand, "I'm Caitlin,"

Iris turned to Nora with a questioning look and Nora nodded, then she turned back to the auburn haired woman in front of her, "You're Caitlin Snow? As in Dr. Snow?" Oh boy, she was the girl Barry would always talk about.

"Just Caitlin is fine,"

Iris squealed and got up to hug the woman, "I finally get to meet you! Barry has told me so much about you!" she would tease him to no end once she saw him. She had heard so much of the doctor from Barry, sometimes too much, but it was great to finally meet her in person. Admittedly, there were times where Iris would get this tiny-itty-bitty jealous of hearing so much of the accomplished doctor and how big of an influence she was in Barry's life. While she was the one that broke things off with the CSI, it didn't mean that their history together and the feelings Iris had for him weren't there anymore. She will forever have a place for Barry Allen in her life.

Caitlin hugged her back, with less intensity. She wondered why everyone would say that Barry talked about her a lot. Perhaps he talked a lot about his friends in general. However, hearing others say that he talked about her made this unknown warmth spread through her body. It was a little strange, but not unwelcomed.

"Where is he?" Iris released Caitlin and started to look for her friend.

Caitlin pointed to the door, right as Henry, Barry, and Joe made their entrance.

"Barry!" The ebony beauty was ecstatic to see her friend, they hadn't seen each other in months. She ran to him and hugged him for dear life. She couldn't contain her happiness at seeing her best friend once again, Barry would always hold a special place in her heart.

Neither Henry nor Joe were surprised by Iris' display of affection, what did surprise them were the hazel eyes in the room. That woman was new.

"Hi, I'm Henry Allen," the older man said politely. Both Caitlin and Nora walked to the group and Caitlin shook Henry's hand.

"Hello Dr. Allen, I'm Caitlin Snow," she answered just as politely.

Henry looked at Nora, then at Joe, then back at Caitlin, "Caitlin Snow, as in Dr. Snow?"

The woman nodded.

The elder Allen gave his son a mischievous grin, "I've heard so much about you! It's great to finally see you in the flesh Dr. Snow,"

"Likewise, Dr. Allen,"

"I'm Joe West," the cop introduced himself as well, boy would they tease the younger Allen. "Great to finally meet you doctor,"

"Just Caitlin, please," she urged them.

Meanwhile, Iris still held a possessive arm around Barry's waist, this was their normal. Barry could have many other friends, but Iris was used to being his number one, that's how it had always been and she wouldn't have it any other way.

Nora noticed Iris' arm and for the first time didn't feel comfortable, she coughed to clear her throat and make an unexpected announcement.

"Caitlin is Barry's fiancé," she said with an ear splitting smile.

She was the only one that Barry had told and now was the perfect time to break the news.

Iris, Joe, and Henry turned to look at Barry with shock and gasped. Since when was he engaged?

"Son, did you forget to tell me you were engaged last time you called?"

Barry slowly extricated himself from Iris' grasp and she frowned. He took his rightful place next to the doctor, "It was sudden, but we are madly in love," he turned to look at Caitlin with the most heartwarming smile and loving gaze, which stunned her momentarily. She'd never seen this look on him, not even when he talked about his dream girl that was just a few feet away. "Isn't that right, Dr. Snow?"

For a moment she forgot the crowd around her and returned his smile with one of her own, those very special ones that Barry loved, "Yes Mr. Allen,"

Nory approved.

Henry chuckled.

Joe was dumbfounded.

Iris didn't know what she was feeling.

{-}

"Mission accomplished," Barry said happily as he dug for his pajamas. This had been a great day. He thought his family would take some time to get adjusted to the idea of his engagement, but his parents were very accepting and welcomed Caitlin with open arms. Speaking of the doctor…Caitlin never ceased to amaze him. For all her worries about how to act with his family, just by being herself she had one them over -just as he had predicted. After everyone's initial shock, his dad had engaged in friendly conversation with the doctor, where they shared their stories in the ER and complained together about medical politics. It didn't take long for the older Allen to be smitten with the girl. His mom liked her just as much if not more, they talked about literature, science, and food, a love that both of them shared. To Nora, Caitlin became another daughter in just one day. This was even better than he expected.

Just then Caitlin stepped into the room with her suitcase in tow, "Your mom sent me here, despite my insistence to stay in another room. Parents are much liberal nowadays," she set her suitcase on the side and started to look for a change of clothes.

He knew his mom wouldn't budge, "Told you," he went inside the bathroom to get changed and came back to find Caitlin pulling her shirt over her head revealing a lot more than he was used to, "Ca-Caitlin," he stammered as he turned the opposite way out of respect for the girl.

"Yes?" She pulled her shirt off and turned to the CSI noticing how his eyes were avoiding her. She looked down and saw her pajama bottoms and her shirtless state, "Oh, sorry, didn't think it would bother you,"

"It doesn't! I mean, uhm, well…" It wasn't that it bothered him, he was a guy after all and she was pretty...very pretty –but still.

"You can look now," she was now brushing her hair and fully covered.

He released a breath of relief, he knew her for eight years and she's always been this way, nonchalant about things that would embarrass the average person. Then again the girl was far from average.

"I'm surprised,"

"Why?" He opened a water bottle and started gulping it down.

She tilted her head to the side, "You've seen me with less clothing before,"

He started choking on his drink, trust Caitlin to be that forward.

She rushed to his side and started patting his back letting her doctor instincts take over, "Slow and steady Barry,"

After a couple of more coughs he started to regain his composure, "Thanks," after a beat he added, "You caught me off guard back there,"

Caitlin nodded, "I see," she didn't think she had said anything out of place though.

"The circumstances were different before though,"

And just before any of them could elaborate on said circumstances, a certain scratch on the door interrupted their conversation. Both of them turned to the source and Barry got up to open it letting a furry intruder in.

"Krypto!" Barry exclaimed happily he forgot all about his hairy friend this evening, "where were you buddy?" he knelt and started ruffling the dog's fur, to which the Labrador responded by wagging his tail crazily at his master. Krypto sniffed the air and suddenly stopped. There was a new scent. Who was this stranger with his master?

Caitlin looked at the dog intently, she's never had dogs before but she liked them –a lot.

Krypto took careful steps towards the woman and only stared at her with big eyes waiting for her next move.

Barry looked at the exchange wondering what would each do.

"Sit," Caitlin said.

Krypto barked twice but complied happily. The doctor's eyed shined with adoration towards to golden Labrador and she knelt to hug him, "Oh, you're so smart, yes you are," the dog barked even more and wagged his tail just as wildly as before. He liked this girl.

Barry smiled, Krypto was a great judge of character, and he couldn't agree more with his assessment.

"Can he stay?" Caitlin asked with her big doe eyes. She didn't know this but that was one of his greatest weaknesses. Or maybe she did and that was why she was using her lethal weapon?

Krypto gave him those same puppy dog eyes too.

"Of course,"

{-}

"Those were some big news today," Henry told his wife as he settled on his side of the bed.

"Absolutely," Nora said not taking her eyes away from her book. Despite her easy going appearance she was wise beyond her years and knew that the news her son shared today were not only _big_ but certainly _unusual_. This wasn't Barry's usual MO. She didn't say anything before but she suspected there was more than what met the eye between those two.

"Though to be honest, I love the girl, she is…" he struggled to find the right word her.

"Adorable? Cute? Kind?"

Henry chuckled, "I was going to say smart, but that works too," he let out a satisfied sigh. Things were looking much brighter for his son and he couldn't be happier.

While her husband was surrendering to sleep Nora thought back on the events of today. Clearly Dr. Snow and her Barry were awfully close, but were they close enough to be engaged? Her son had been madly in love with Iris since he was 14 years old and it seemed that Iris hadn't forgotten about that either, if her possessive display and big frown towards Barry's engagement earlier today were anything to go by.

There was a long week ahead of them and all that Nora hoped for was for no one to get hurt.

{-}

Iris was having an out of body experience. Barry was engaged? The Barry she'd known since forever, the one who gave her her first kiss; who was with her when her mom passed; the one that had a whole future planned out for them, was getting married. She didn't know how to feel. She wanted to feel happy for him, she really did, but somehow there was this feeling in the pit of her stomach that was far from happiness.

"Babe, I'm so happy to see you," Eddie hugged her from behind and kissed her cheek.

"Eddie! I'm glad you're home. How was work?" She was thankful for the distraction

"Same old, you know how it is at the precinct," he took off his coat and was changing into more comfortable clothing, "sorry that I couldn't take time off to help you with the wedding, I'm trying to save as much vacation time as possible for the honeymoon," he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and his future bride to be rolled her eyes while lacing her hands behind his neck.

"What am I going to do with you…" she wondered while kissing her fiancé senseless.

This is how things should be. She made her choices and Eddie was the man for her.

She only wished her heart didn't waiver in the next few days.

{-}

 _ **The Night of the Evil Dress**_

 _Barry and Caitlin had been friends for 8 months now and decided to celebrate that they were done with finals. Caitlin was hesitant of going out at first but after much prodding from Barry and Cisco -a mutual friend of theirs- she said_ _ **why not?**_

 _They decided to try out a new karaoke bar not far away from campus and were set to meet at 8:30. Barry and Cisco were already there catching up on the latest Marvel movies and discussing ideas of how the next hero would be introduced._

" _Whoa!" Cisco exclaimed as he noticed a girl with auburn hair, a black dress, and matching black heels enter the room, "Look at that,"_

 _Barry turned to look and almost choked on his drink. Entering the room was one of the most beautiful girls he had ever seen before. Her long slender legs, that air of confidence and warmth around her, her long curly auburn hair, and those intelligent hazel eyes. Wait a minute... she actually looked familiar. And then the two young men noticed that she was making her way towards them._

" _Pinch me, I think she's coming here," Cisco said._

 _Barry did as he was told without taking his eyes from the girl._

" _Ow!"_

 _The femme fatale stopped in front of them, "I hope you're not having too much fun without me,"_

 _Just then Barry and Cisco gaped at her incredulously, "Ca-Caitlin!" Cisco practically shouted and everyone turned to the trio._

 _Caitlin placed a lock of her behind her ear, "Yeah,"_

 _Both Barry and Cisco eyed her from head to toe. Where was the girl with sweatpants and oversized hoodies? This certainly wasn't the same Caitlin they knew that wore oversized clothing preferring comfort over anything else._

" _Did I over do it?" She asked while looking at herself as well. She was never good at these social outings, she should've known better than to listen to her roommate._

" _No, of course not," Cisco said after a few seconds of shock. Who knew that his friend was that pretty? "I'll go get us some drinks," Yeah, he needed to shake this off._

 _Barry was still trying to find his voice. This was the same Caitlin he thought was a guy when they met?_

" _Should I go change?" She didn't want to make anyone uncomfortable._

 _Barry shook his head, "No, not at all. You look different, is all,"_

" _Oh," She was still hesitating on this being a good idea, she looked down._

" _You look nice...really nice,"_

 _To that she slowly raised her head and gave him a dazzling smile, one he had never seen on her before, "Thank you Barry,"_

 _And at that moment Barry's heart skipped a beat. This was probably the first time he saw Caitlin as a girl. She was usually one of the guys, who didn't care about girly stuff and went with them to action movies, arcades, and robotics competitions. Where did that Caitlin go?_

 _The night went on uneventful, save for some bad karaoke being sang by the people at the bar, and one little hiccup that evening. Cisco had boasted on his most recent development, a drink that tasted like alcohol but shouldn't have its after effects. Key word_ _ **shouldn't**_ _. Boy was he wrong._

 _Caitlin was the first and only to try it, the drink had the complete opposite effect. She only took a small sip out of camaraderie and immediately felt its effects. She was drunk._

" _Uh oh, I think I'm going to have to re-think the formula," he said as he saw a drunk Caitlin talking to a coat hanger._

" _Ya think!?" Barry exclaimed._

" _Next time I'll try it myself first," he paid for the bill, "want me to help you take her back?"_

" _No, our dorms are close to each other, I can take her,"_

 _Cisco nodded gratefully, he actually commuted a good 30 minutes every day to campus. "Okay, I'll see you both Monday, but keep me posted,"_

 _Barry nodded and went to help Caitlin walk steady, or at least tried to._

" _Oh look Barry a puppy!" she said happily pointing at a rock, "But why isn't it moving," she hiccupped._

" _It's a rock Caitlin," he was fighting the urge of recording her and using this as blackmail later._

" _Is that my house?" she said pointing at a big oak tree in the middle of CCU's plaza._

" _No, but we're close to the dorms,"_

" _I want a piggyback ride!" She almost choked the poor guy._

" _Ok-ay," he said as he got in position and carried her on his back._

" _Woohoo! Horsie!" For a whole ten seconds she had the energy of a five year old and then her body slowly started to go limp._

" _Caitlin," Barry called after her, but in response he only felt her head rest on his shoulder, "are you sleep?"_

" _Mhm," she hummed softly._

 _He smiled to himself, maybe the effects were wearing off. The rest of the trip to her dorm was silent, but it wasn't uncomfortable. He heard her relaxed breathing close to him and he somehow felt content just being close to her. The night started off with shock, but this was the same Caitlin that saw him cry over Iris less than a year ago and was there to listen to him when he felt he had no one else._

 _They got to her dorm and Barry used fished for her key to get inside. He was lucky her roommate wasn't there._

" _We're here," he said softly, as he knelt so she could get off of him._

 _The girl slowly woke up and stepped away from him wobbly. It was strange, but for some reason he missed her warmth._

" _Thanks," she said with her eyes barely open._

" _Any time," he said with a smile._

 _Caitlin turned around and started fiddling with her dress only pulling down slightly, revealing her torso and part of her dark lingerie. Barry blushed furiously and turned the opposite way._

 _After more fiddling Caitlin got frustrated and called after her friend, "Barry...a little help please?" she said with her eyes closed and still a little tipsy._

" _Uh, uhm," Caitlin was his friend, he was only helping a_ _ **friend**_ _. He slowly turned to her and saw her with her eyes closed just waiting for him to help her from her evil dress. He took a deep breath, he could do this. He placed an arm on her naked shoulder and started to lower her dress ever so slowly, admiring the small of her back. He slowly pulled her long sleeves and purposefully avoiding looking at the rest of her body, he was a gentleman. Meanwhile, Caitlin used his shoulders as support and stepped out of that dress. She would have to avoid evil dresses from now on._

" _Thank you," she said through half lidded eyes, and Barry only nodded but allowed his eyes to linger just a few seconds before quickly turning around. He hadn't even seen this much of Iris before. He heard her pulling something out of her drawer, and by the time he turned back around she was wearing an oversized hoodie that rested just above her knees. "Remind me to never trust Cisco again," she said grumpily as she walked over to her bed with Barry assisting her every step._

" _You and me both," he said with a small chuckle._

 _As she settled into her bed Barry started to make his way to the door. When he was reaching for the door knob…_

" _Could you stay with me until I fall asleep?" she said softly._

 _Had it been anyone else Barry probably wouldn't, but this wasn't just anyone. This was Caitlin._

" _Sure," he turned around and sat on her bed gently patting her until she fell asleep._

{x}

 _The plan was to update this story this Wednesday, but the impossible happened and here we are today. Please note that the last snippet is actually a flashback._

 _Even though the premise is not new, I hope the approach is. 3_

 _Many thanks to those of you that have favorited/followed the story and an even_ _ **bigger**_ _and special thanks to those that have taken the time to review:_ _ **Shyesplease, Guest 1, Guest 2, Maya, ShanouNash, Nienke Whovian,**_ _and_ _ **TieDyeJackson**_ _._

 _ **TieDye Jackson**_ _: Nice to see you here! Stay tuned and enjoy the ride my friend._

 _ **Nienke Whovian**_ _: Well let me know what you think of this chapter. Any theories you may have?_

 _ **ShanouNash**_ _: Hope you've liked the story so far. This story was published in great part because of your support, please enjoy it. You're right, the plot really isn't that original, but I think that the development of the story will not be too predictable. Or maybe it will, who knows._

 _I think you meant that Barry seems convinced he's still in love with Iris, right? Yeah, that's Barry for you. Eek! I don't want to spoil too much, but I think that the flashbacks will be key in understanding more about our protagonists._

 _ **Maya**_ _: Loved the excitement! Thank you for your review!_

 _ **Guest (2)**_ _: I wish I could personalize the response more, just in case you want to throw a nickname out there lol. You're so kind, I hope you've liked the story thus far. Ugh, university is both great and awful at times, you just hang in there it will be worth it and over before you know it._

 _ **Guest (1)**_ _: Let me know what you think for Chapter 2._

 _ **Shyesplease**_ _: I completely agree with you Barry needs to open his eyes and see what's right in front of her. Let me know what you thought of this chapter :)_


	3. Chapter 3

**.**

 **.**

 **.**

 _ **Great Possibilities**_

D-5

There were only five days before the wedding and Barry needed to put his plan in full action. He was lucky that Eddie was working the next two days, this would give him more quality time with Iris.

"Okay son today we are checking the catering and flower arrangements," Nora said military style, already having an itinerary of the day ahead of them.

Barry rolled his eyes faking annoyance at being obligated to help, while in reality he was giddy with excitement at the opportunity of spending time with Iris. This would be perfect, he would be helping her every step of the way and she would see what an amazing man she missed out on.

"Bar, thank you so much for helping me," Iris smiled charmingly at him, her beautiful perfect smile, just as he remembered.

"Any time," he said with a grin.

Nora raised a curious eyebrow at the two. "Where's Caitlin honey?"

Barry was pulled away from his trance and looked towards his yard, where he had last seen Caitlin that morning, "Oh, I thought she was…"

And then giggles and laughs were heard approaching.

"Krypto you won't catch me!" The doctor said playfully while running away from the dog.

Nora and Iris were surprised to hear those sounds come from the woman they met yesterday who was serious, demure, and super polite. However, Nora's surprise quickly subsided and she looked at the girl with motherly approval. She discreetly turned to Iris, who was actually looking at Barry and then Nora saw...that same look Barry had given Caitlin yesterday. That special spark that conveyed a profound feeling, and in Nora's eyes was more than friendship.

Barry couldn't hide his grin. While Caitlin was very reserved with new people, when she showed this side of her it was to be admired, because it was rare that she looked so carefree and innocent with others. He wouldn't brag, but he felt he was somewhat special to his favorite doctor, because she would show herself like this to him constantly, so open, so lively, and simply happy. She had a big heart, probably the most caring one he's every come across, although people generally misunderstood her because she was very reserved.

"Caitlin darling!" Nora yelled and Dr. Snow stopped on her tracks allowing the Labrador to trap her and hug her legs.

"Yes Nora!"

"Please join us dear,"

The doctor walked inside and greeted everyone, "How can I help?" Everyone looked ready to go out and Nora Allen had an itinerary on her hand.

"Why don't you join us today? We have to meet with the catering company and the flower shop to pick the flower arrangements,"

"I'll pick the flowers!" Iris said quickly, getting the attention of the three people in front of her, "I mean, I want to pick the flowers, make sure they fit the overall theme of the wedding,"

The older woman nodded, "Of course darling, then why don't you and I go to the flower shop and Caitlin and Barry go take care of the catering, we already narrowed down the selection so it should be easier,"

Caitlin looked at Barry briefly and noticed his eyes drop at his mother's arrangements, she needed to step in, "Why don't you accompany me to the catering Nora?" Barry, Nora, and Iris looked at her strangely. "You and Iris have worked on the arrangements together and I think that you know her taste best. I don't trust Barry or myself to make such an important decision,"

Barry almost cried with gratitude. Caitlin was awesome. Now he would have all this time to be with Iris, everything according to plan.

The gears were turning in Nora's head but she agreed to the request anyway, "You are right Caitlin, excellent idea," she grabbed the girl by the arm and smiled mischievously, "that'll give me time to know more about my future daughter-in-law,"

Now Caitlin was rethinking her strategy. It might've not been the best idea after all.

"Perfect, then we'll meet at Jitters for lunch," Iris said with a big grin while dragging Barry away.

Barry and Caitlin shared one complicit look and then when their respective ways.

{-}

"So," Nora started, "you never did tell me how Barry and you met, he hasn't been very forthcoming with that story either,"

Knowing Barry easily gets embarrassed she understood why that was, "It wasn't out of the ordinary, we met at a park,"

Nora suppressed a sigh, getting information from Caitlin was like pulling teeth, but she wasn't easily deterred. "And how long have you been dating?"

Caitlin was glad they had rehearsed this, "About 2 years, I think," She didn't like where these questions were leading.

"He never mentioned it,"

Caitlin tried not to cringe, she'd told Barry his plan wouldn't work for these reasons, and there were way too many inconveniences and coincidences to make it believable. She was still thoroughly surprised no one had called them out on it being a hoax. But she couldn't back down now, "We weren't sure if things would work out so we didn't want to give anyone any false expectations until we both felt ready," Did that sound convincing enough?

Nora nodded, "I see," after a beat she added, "its funny how you both felt ready a week before Iris' wedding,"

Caitlin's blood ran cold. She knew Nora Allen was no fool and she was onto them. "I think we're here," she pointed at the catering company ahead of them, glad for the perfect timing.

"We are," Nora gave Caitlin a smile and let her off the hook...for now.

{-}

"Thank you so much for coming with me Bar," Iris said while resting her head on his shoulder.

"Don't mention it," he said with a goofy grin. He was happy at the development of things, but then why did he feel like he was somehow betraying Caitlin. It was ridiculous, they were only friends, and his plan was all about winning Iris back, so he needed to focus.

They entered the flower shop and started looking at the selection of flowers on display.

"They're so beautiful, I don't even know where to start," funnily, Iris walked towards irises. "What do you think of these Bar?"

"They're nice," he wasn't good with flowers.

Iris frowned, "They're not too elegant though,"

"Since when were _you_ elegant?" he teased.

She gaped at him and grinned, just like the old times, "I'll have you know Allen that I'm a very elegant and sophisticated woman,"

Barry rolled his eyes to irk her more, "Maybe in a parallel universe West,"

"Barry!" she hit his arm playfully.

The salesman cleared his throat, "My apologies for interrupting the happy couple but-"

"We are -"

"We're not a couple!" Barry said flushed. He instantly wanted to hit himself, wasn't this what he wanted? To be close to Iris and make her _want_ to be with him?

Iris was a little hurt by his sudden reaction, but it was true, they weren't a couple. "He's my man of honor," she winked at the CSI.

"Ah I see, I just wanted to let you know that I will assist you throughout the selection process so let me know if you have any questions," The salesman left those two and went to tend to the flowers on the opposite side of the store.

There was some awkward silence but Iris spoke up, "So how did you and Caitlin, uhm, get together?" Sure he talked about her a lot and all, but to suddenly be engaged…was a little out of place for Barry.

"Uh," He knew this question would come up eventually, "well we've known each other for a long time and it just happened," he said with a shrug. Should he have come up with a super romantic story to make Iris jealous? No, he just didn't think that would be fitting to his relationship with Cait. If they were ever to get together –not that he's ever thought about it (really, he hasn't)– it would be a natural progression of their friendship that will eventually propel them to the next step. Yeah, he thought that was more believable.

"I'm not surprised but," and somehow she wasn't surprised, but it still didn't make sense to her. She purposefully started to smell the roses in her hand avoiding eye contact with the man, "I wish you would've told me," Iris felt hurt at Barry's secrecy. Sure they didn't end on the best of terms, but she thought they were in a much better place after she returned from New York. And throughout all of their conversations, in which Caitlin was mentioned in at least 80% of them, he never mentioned a relationship.

"You're not surprised?" Had he missed something? How come everyone practically expected him to end up with Caitlin?

"Well, no, not really. I mean you talk about her ALL the time," she said slightly more annoyed than she intended.

Barry was completely oblivious to her tone and thought back on their conversations...it was true, he did talk about Caitlin a lot, but not that much did he? "Do I?"

"Yeah,"

"No, I don-oh look at this one!" He pointed to a particular arrangement with white roses and cherry blossoms, it was beautiful.

"Oh it's –"

Barry smiled to himself, "Cait would love it," cherry blossoms were her favorite.

Iris frowned, he was supposed the help look for _her_ flower arrangements.

{-}

"What do you think of this pasta Caitlin?" She loved this part about weddings, the food.

Caitlin had her mouth full of salad at that time, but walked towards Mrs. Allen anyway and swallowed quickly, "Let me see," she took a bite and started to chew, the pasta wasn't half bad but she started to feel itchy and her face got flushed.

"Caitlin?" Nora asked worriedly, if she didn't know any better the girl was having an allergic reaction.

The young doctor started to cough wildly, "Olives...black olives," she saw them mingling in the pasta at the very bottom.

She was allergic to black olives! Oh no, she should've asked her before having her try these dishes. She pulled her cellphone out of her purse and dialed her husband, "I'm taking Caitlin in, she's having an allergic reaction,"

She helped her future daughter-in-law to her car and drove to Central City's West Hospital where Henry was waiting.

{-}

Iris was still annoyed at Barry who one way or another found his way to squeezing his fiancé into every conversation. Couldn't they just talk about _her_ wedding?

"What about these tulips Iris?" he asked with a childlike grin.

That was much better, "I like them, the color is perfect too," she inadvertently brushed her hand with his as she took the flowers from him. "I think these are the ones Bar,"

He was about to say something when his phone rang, "Hey mom," he said happily, but his smile quickly turned into a frown, "what!? She's where? Okay, yeah. I'll be right there,"

"What's wrong?" The journalist asked with concern.

Barry rushed outside and started his car. "It's Caitlin, she had an allergic reaction to one of the plates and she's at the hospital right now,"

"Oh my, let me go with you,"

Barry shook his head, "No, it's fine, this is your day. I'll go change places with mom so she can help you finalize the catering. I'll keep you posted,"

{-}

Barry rushed through the rooms of the hospital anxious to find his fake fiancé. Once he saw the room number he was looking for he stepped in without hesitation and found his mom caressing Caitlin's hand.

"Hey," he said catching his breath.

Nora stood up and gave her seat to her son, the poor man looked worried to death, "She's okay son, your father gave her _**antihistamine**_ for the allergic reaction,"

"I'm fine," the young doctor reassured him, "just my good ol' allergies to olives," She said trying to lighten up the mood.

Barry took her hand, just as his mother had done before, and was frowning at her, "You need to be more careful Cait,"

Caitlin looked at him for a second, he was very worried about her, which truly warmed her heart, "I will be,"

Nora looked at the both of them one last time before closing the door behind her and smiled to herself. Oh those two were in for a big surprise.

After Caitlin saw Nora leave she pulled her hand slowly away from Barry and he looked at her confused.

"I'm sorry," she said.

Huh? "Don't worry as long as you're o–"

"I pulled you away from Iris,"

Oh, Iris, "It's okay, we were only looking at flowers," he said not really thinking it was a big deal. Her health was far more important.

She nodded, "I'll be careful next time,"

"Okay,"

They stayed silent for some time before Caitlin spoke again, "You know…"

Her words lingered in the air and Barry waited patiently for her to continue, "Your mom said a certain someone had an obsession with Superman,"

 _Uh-oh_ , Barry didn't like this.

Caitlin pulled out her cellphone and handed it to Barry struggling to contain her laugh.

Barry took her phone and his cheeks flushed.

The doctor giggled and was fighting Barry for her phone back, "Come on, it's cute,"

The poor CSI tried to surpass her security to no avail, the girl had changed the lock screen pattern in anticipation, "Mom is gonna hear about this," he grumbled giving up the phone once and for all.

"I like it," she said with a happy smile and not for the first time Barry thought she was cute.

"You like making fun of me which is different,"

She shrugged, "I think you were adorable back then, now it makes sense that you named your dog Krypto,"

Of course she would catch on to that.

"Whatever, you just can't resist the Allen charm, even in my youthful years,"

She tilted her head to the side and grinned, "You're absolutely right about that,"

This took Barry by surprise. Caitlin was probably pulling his leg. They were friends and that was all they would ever be. Although that thought wasn't as reassuring as before. He took the initiative of sitting on the bed next to Caitlin, while she showed him all these pictures his mom shared with her from when he was a kid.

He still couldn't understand why out of all of the cute pictures she had of him, she choose the one where he was in white underwear with a Superman shirt and Superman trousers on his head as her lock screen picture.

{-}

At night Caitlin and Barry threw themselves at the bed with a tired sigh.

"It was a long day,"

"Ditto,"

"But I'm glad they released you soon and mom and Iris finished what they had to do today,"

"It was only an allergic reaction, not like I was in a car accident," Caitlin said as a matter of fact.

"Still," he insisted.

Caitlin rolled her eyes, Barry was such a worrywart at times, "I'm glad your mom decided to ditch the pasta though, or else I would've probably had to eat before going to the wedding," Nora had gone back to the catering company and asked for them to dispose of anything that had black olives as an ingredient. Her future daughter-in-law was not to be harmed ever again.

"That's mom for you, she always takes care of everything,"

Caitlin's eyes shined with admiration, in just two days she couldn't help but look up to the Allen matriarch, such a wonderful woman. "Yes," she said with an amazed sigh.

Barry couldn't help but smile, Caitlin was easily impressionable sometimes. He then remembered something that he had left at the car, "Oh, I'll be right back," he stepped out of the room and Caitlin took the time to change into her pajamas not wanting to make Barry feel awkward around her like last time.

He came back with a long white box, "This is for you," he said with a boyish grin.

Caitlin took the box and noticed how light it was, "What is it?"

"Open it," Barry said with excitement, he just knew Cait would love it.

She slowly opened the box and smiled lovingly at the content, Barry was so thoughtful, "You're so sweet,"

Barry cleared his throat in mild embarrassment, "It's nothing," it had totally been worth it to go back to the flower shop for that small flower arrangement.

Without thinking she gave him a kiss on the cheek and then stepped out to the kitchen to get a glass of water.

Barry remained frozen in place and slowly pulled his hand to the spot where Caitlin had kissed him. This wasn't the first time that the girl had kissed his cheek, they did that often, it was normal among friends, but why did this feel different? There was always a tingling sensation, but this time it was stronger.

Meanwhile, Caitlin was in the kitchen taking her time to fill the glass of water and then placing inside the white rose with a branch of cherry blossoms. For some strange reason that she didn't want to explore her heart was beating faster than usual after kissing Barry. They were friends, and she'd done this numerous times before, but she couldn't help herself from feeling…

"Everything alright dear?" Nora asked while she served herself a glass of milk.

"Yes, I just came for some water,"

"I see," then she noticed the rose and the branch in her glass, "they're lovely, where did you get them?"

"Oh," the faintest pink tint came to Caitlin's cheeks, this was highly unusual for her, "Barry gave them to me,"

"Ah, my Barry, he takes after his father, such a romantic,"

Caitlin nodded and excused herself.

Nora just drank her milk with a self-satisfied grin.

{-}

 _ **The Talks to Remember**_

 _It had been almost two years since Barry had met Caitlin and somehow, without either of them knowing it, they had become great friends. They would joke and say they were science soulmates as that was their favorite topic of interest and could talk for endless hours about the subject. He would forever be fascinated by her knowledge and aspirations, she was actually going to intern at STAR Labs over the summer, while he went back to spend time with his parents._

 _This was the first time he would be back home after his break up with Iris, and the last thing he wanted to hear was someone asking him if he was okay or if he missed Iris. He walked the familiar steps towards his home and was quickly enveloped in a hug by his father._

" _Nice to see you too dad," he said while patting the older man's back._

" _My boy, you have a lot to tell me. How are things at CCU?"_

" _They're great dad," he went inside with his father and left his suitcase in his room, "I've made good friends and am having fun,"_

" _Barry sweetie! I'm so happy to see you, tell me everything that I missed," his mom came from the kitchen and they all sat in the living room._

" _Classes are going great, I've been part of the Dean's List since my first semester, " he said with pride, "and I have two awesome friends, Caitlin and Cisco," Barry had mentioned both of his friends in passing to his parents, but his parent's ears quickly perked up when they heard the name_ _ **Caitlin.**_

" _Tell us more about your friends sweetie,"_

" _Well Cisco is studying mechanical engineering, he'll actually graduate next semester since he took advanced courses in high school,"_

 _His parents nodded amazed at the young man's smarts._

" _And Caitlin is studying biomedicine, she wants to be a doctor," he beamed._

 _His parents looked at each other mischievously and waited for their son to continue, "and she's amazing and super smart too. I mean sometimes I have her help me with my chem homework...but it's not because I don't know we just compare answers and all,"_

 _That wasn't the only time the younger Allen talked about the future Dr. Snow that evening._

 _The next day he went to visit Joe and Wally who were like family to him, despite not being with Iris anymore. He was glad none of them mentioned the girl's name during his visit. Wally quickly started asking about classes and girls. Barry need not be asked twice, he told Wally, who he considered a younger brother, everything he knew about college. However, when it came to girls his experience was much more limited, only really hanging out with one. The one and only Caitlin Snow. And so Barry started to talk about Caitlin in detail and how strange the girl could be but smart and funny all the same. After a few minutes Wally excused himself saying he had a meeting with the engineering club (when in reality he just had gotten tired of hearing his pseudo brother talk about only one girl)._

 _Joe didn't say much he just took a sip of his coffee and listened to the rest of Barry's college stories which featured one auburn haired girl most of the time._

 _{-}_

 _This was the second summer Barry was home and his parents couldn't help but ask him if a friend would join him this time. He said that he did have a friend with him, wondering suspiciously how his parents knew._

" _We'll finally get to meet her Henry," Nora told her husband with her excitement barely contained._

" _How do you think she looks like?" Barry wouldn't dare show them any pictures, saying that he hasn't been able to capture the true essence of Caitlin Snow._

 _Not long after the familiar_ ding _of the bell rang, Nora all but ran to the door, opening it full of anticipation._

" _Hey mom! Dad!" Barry called out happily, "Meet my friend Cisco Ramon, he'll be leaving to Star City to work at Palmer Tech,"_

" _Hello Mr. and Mrs. Allen," Cisco said politely._

 _Nora and Henry shared a look but welcomed Cisco with open arms. He certainly wasn't who they were expecting, but he was a charismatic fellow and seemed to be a great friend._

 _At dinner, Cisco and Barry were sharing some of their college adventures when of course a familiar name came up._

" _Oh, remember that time that Caitlin threw up," Barry said while laughing,_

" _Ugh, that was disgusting, I told her not to get on the rollercoaster after eating those hot dogs but she didn't listen,"_

 _They both shared a laugh and continued with more stories, with their female friend at the forefront of each._

 _{-}_

 _Three years after Iris had broken up with him, Barry was finally able to answer one of her calls. It's not that the girl didn't call him often, it's just that he hadn't found the strength to answer her without feeling hurt._

" _Hey Barry! It's great to hear you," Iris said animatedly trying hard to push the awkwardness of this call away._

" _Likewise Iris, how's NY treating you?" He was walking back to his dorm very slowly._

" _It gets pretty cold here but it's nice. There's always something to do. How's CCU?"_

" _Same old,"_

" _Oh," there was an awkward silence and then Iris chimed in, "I hear a Dr. Wells is coming to NYU for a conference," she hoped this would get the conversation going._

" _Dr. Wells! That's awesome, actually I was able to meet him last summer," trust Barry to always get fired up when they talked about something or someone in science._

" _Really? That's nice,"_

" _Oh yeah, Caitlin took me one day last summer to STAR Labs and we ran into Dr. Wells, he's a brilliant man,"_

" _Caitlin?"_

" _Yeah, you don't know her. She's actually attending CCU for a degree in biology with a concentration in bio medicine and genetics," somehow Barry always ended up bragging about Caitlin, even though the girl didn't take herself too seriously._

" _Wow she sounds pretty smart,"_

" _She_ is _, you should've seen her paper on DNA history it was awesome,"_

 _Iris resisted the urge to roll her eyes at her nerdy friend. At least he was doing fine without her which was both hurtful and brought peace of mind at the same time._

 _{-}_

 _It took them a while after Iris came back from New York, but finally Barry and Iris were friends once again. Sure things were awkward form time to time, but they got over it quickly._

" _So glad you could come with me today Bar,"_

" _Not a problem Iris, thank you for inviting me,"_

 _They both ordered their favorite drinks from Jitters and took a seat at one of the outside tables._

" _Congratulations on your first byline," Barry said sincerely._

" _It's no big deal, I mean it's on the 30th page anyway," she said nonchalantly, while feeling giddy on finally making her way up the ranks._

" _It is! This reminds me of that one time Caitlin was presenting her research on generational genetics transfer to the dean of the college and said it was no big deal, it really is," Oh Caitlin, always taking lightly all of her accomplishments._

" _Yeah, it's totally the same," Iris released a sigh, wondering what else Barry would say about Caitlin. Every time she was with him, he had these jokes that she simply didn't understand but apparently Caitlin did. She had never met the girl in question but Barry would always bring her up somehow. In the back of her mind Iris wondered if Barry did this to somehow make her jealous, but oddly enough it didn't seem like it._

 _The other question she toyed with was if Barry_ _ **liked**_ _Caitlin, but she never found the strength to ask._

 _{-}_

 _Over the years some way somehow there was always a Caitlin Snow mentioned when you talked to Barry Allen._

{x}

 _Hello Everyone!_

 _This may be the first time I'm actually on schedule with a story (pat in the back for that). I wanted to thank you for your overwhelming support and hope you liked this next installment of_ _ **Great Possibilities**_ _. It's funny but I was really planning for this story to be three chapters long –that's not going to happen anymore._

 _A warm hug to those who have favorited/followed the story and add to that a cup of hot cocoa to those that have reviewed!_

 _ **Jdcocoagirl, Maya, Raquel, icekrim91, TieDyeJackson, Guest, ShanouNash, A Fan, stars90, Nienke Whovian, SodapopLover4524,**_ _and_ _ **Shadow9841**_ _._

 _ **Jdcocoagirl**_ _: Who knows…maybe…or maybe they have that deep of a friendship?_

 _ **Maya**_ _: I know! I think that they would in the actual show too, but at least here they do. Glad you loved it!_

 _ **Raquel**_ _: So it's you! Pretty name by the way_ _Don't worry, it'll be over before you know it. And yes, anime helps a lot, although I'm sticking to the shorter ones for now, I can't get too invested (oh, and K-Dramas). Yes, Barry is a blind man…but he's not the only one._

 _Good luck on your studying!_

 _ **Icekrim91**_ _: I'm happy that you're liking the story so far, and yes the flashbacks help. I wanted to add more depth to their relationship, and for you all to see a story within a story (if that makes sense). Hope you liked this chapter too._

 _ **TieDyeJackson**_ _: Ugh, tell me about it. As soon as I saw the two of them the first time I felt this spark and thought they would be a couple at some point. After season 1 and still even after season 2 I felt they could've explored Snowbarry, but nooooo. Season 3 and 4, have been my least favorites and many accounts, but on Snowbarry specifically, I feel like they've completely butchered what they had built on (and I'm talking from the friendship perspective)._

 _Glad you're liking it so far, let me know what you think of chapter 3._

 _Ps. I Love You…kidding…I love your profile pic reminds me of another story I'm working on._

 _ **Guest**_ _: Awesome! Hope you liked chapter three as well_

 _ **ShanouNash**_ _: Aww, it's nothing but the truth. I figured there was a typo so no worries. You're French! Oh that's amazing, French the language of Love…sigh…_

 _I think that Barry and Caitlin have been friends for so long that it's hard for them to see that they're really not friends friends…does that even make sense? As the story progresses, I hope you see where the both of them are coming from and why they haven't taken that next step we are all waiting on._

 _As for Cisco, it may be explained in a later chapter, but I'll let you know now. He was actually Barry's friend and was introduced to Caitlin, who later became his friend._

 _Oh I'm glad it's understandable the chapters go through so many reviews and edits and I still miss things. As for Iris, I hope I can explain her behavior (towards the end). However, I can't say she won't have a hand at Snowbarry though._

 _I'm so happy to hear that you like Nora, since we don't get much of her on the show, this is how I envision she would be in this story. Ah, mother's intuition is strong with this one. Actually, I completely agree with the 'unrealistic' factor of his engagement, that's why Caitlin thought it was a dumb plan from the very beginning. I'll I ask is that you stay with me for a little bit, you'll see how this amazing plan works out._

 _I understand where you're coming from on Caitlin never meeting the family, actually I have a very good friend of over 10 years, and to this day I've never met her dad lol (and mom only twice). Most of it comes from bad timing and initially it was because Caitlin was just very reserved. Hope this flashback helps a little bit on that front._

 _Oh, I knew the bed question would come up! I can't spoil anything right now, but stay tuned (that will be answered later in the story)._

 _With all of that being said, thank you so much for your kind words and for taking the time to read the story!_

 _ **A Fan:**_ _Love the nickname by the way. Well here's another one for you, let me know what you think!_

 _ **Stars90**_ _: Oh it will…it will…_

 _ **Nienke**_ _ **Whovian**_ _: Glad you liked it! That's Barry for you. I'm not the best at writing weddings but I'll try to do justice for Iris and Eddie. Just wait for what's still in store for our adorable nerds! Hope you liked this chapter!_

 _ **SodapopLover4524**_ _: We outsiders can see what's right in front of them, they're just too oblivious. And Nora is awesome like that, those two should've known better. Glad you liked the Karaoke scene spin off, I really wanted to add it as it's probably one of my favorite Snowbarry moments._

 _ **Shadow9841**_ _: I think you may be onto something here…we'll just have to wait and see my friend. Thank you for reading!_

 _ **ALSO big announcement here, but there may or may not be a kiss (or two) in the next chapter. Just thought I would casually mention that.**_

 _Love,  
Kim_


	4. Chapter 4

**.**

 **.**

 **.**

 _ **Great Possibilities**_

D-4

Today was all about the final touches on the dance hall. Everything needed to be perfect for her big day. Iris was not someone who took failure lightly, and her wedding was her biggest project to date. As the big day drew nearer she was starting to be more on edge. She tried very hard to ignore the stress that was settling at the pit of her stomach. She could do this, it was a once in a lifetime thing.

"I'll try my best to meet you at the dance hall at 8, unless something crazy happens," Eddie told her as he kissed her goodbye.

"Okay babe, I hope to _see you_ there," she said with a sugary smile but the threat didn't go unnoticed by the detective.

Now all she needed was to get ready to head over the Allen's residence. As she applied her blush she couldn't help but think back on those early days when Barry and her did everything together. He was sweet, dependable, funny, and always there for her. When she came back from New York she was ecstatic to be back with her best friend, and once upon a time boyfriend, Barry Allen, and judging by the grin he received her with she was sure he wanted the spend time with her too. Little did she know, things would never be the same.

Once she arrived at the Allen's she found Nora making breakfast with a little helper.

"Iris, you're here. Please take a seat,"

"Sure thing Nora. Good morning Caitlin," she beamed at the woman. Whatever turmoil inside of her didn't mean she didn't like the doctor. Sure Caitlin was peculiar, and at times Iris would get jealous because Barry painted this pretty almost perfect picture of Dr. Snow, but still Caitlin was nice.

"Good morning Iris, sorry about yesterday,"

"Oh no," she shook her head, "please don't worry about it, I'm just glad you're okay,"

"You gave us a scare back there," Nora placed the pancakes at the center of the table, "especially my Barry, he was worried sick about you,"

Iris agreed.

"Oh," there was that pink tint again, Nora noted, "it was just an allergic reaction to olives," Caitlin muttered to herself.

"Will you be coming with us to the dance hall?" Iris asked as she served herself a pancake.

"Well…" The point was to get Barry and Iris together, how could she get out of this one and give them some time alone?

"Of course she will," Nora said happily, "maybe this will give you some ideas darling," Nora winked.

"Ideas for what?" Barry stepped in after playing with Krypto.

"For your own wedding, of course," his mother said as a matter of fact.

And for the first time in all the years that Barry knew Caitlin, the girl almost choked on her orange juice after hearing that. Barry rushed to her side and started to pat her back gently while holding her hand, "Slow and steady Cait," he told her just as she had told him a few days ago.

"Sorry, it went the wrong way," she said a little embarrassed, which was very unlike her. How could she own up to being flustered by Nora's words? All of this was a farce to begin with.

Iris noted how comfortable they were with each other, and how Barry treated the doctor with the utmost care, somehow that vexed her a little. "I noticed you guys don't have engagement rings,"

Barry and Caitlin looked at each other and then down to their bare hands. Caitlin pulled her hand away quickly and headed for the syrup, "In our fields we can't have anything in our hands as it could contaminate the patient or, in Barry's case, his samples,"

Nora hid a secretive smile and Barry held a sigh of relief, thankful for Caitlin being a quick thinker.

{-}

The four headed into the beautiful grand hall and were quickly received by the event coordinator.

"So glad to have you in Ms. West, thank you for choosing the Scarlet Dreams Hall for your wedding reception,"

"You had great reviews so it was an easy choice,"

"Excellent, so let me give you the tour,"

The coordinator started walking around the hall and was discussing ideas with Iris as to where everything would go, where the seating arrangements should be, and where the cake should be placed. Meanwhile, Nora walked with Barry and Caitlin on opposite sides of her.

"Honey," Nora was carefully observing Iris walk further away with the coordinator.

"Yes mom,"

"How did you ask Caitlin to marry you?" This should be fun.

"Oh, that, well, you know," he started to pull at his collar nervously. Caitlin shook her head, oh Barry, he was so transparent.

"I don't know sweetie, that's why I'm asking," his mother said sweetly.

"Actually Nora -"

"Caitlin darling, don't let him off the hook, I want to hear the story from his perspective, don't you?"

Caitlin mouthed a _sorry_ to her friend. He better get creative and he better do it fast.

"Actually mom, what happened was-"

"Okay we are going to test the lights and the music," the bride-to-be interrupted unknowingly.

"That's great Iris, let's go see the music selection, and please tell me there is more than line dances in there," Nora said happily following Iris and leaving the fake couple behind for now.

"Your mom is very intuitive," Caitlin said as her eyes followed the women in front of her.

Barry nodded "I knew it wouldn't be easy to get past her," things had been going too smoothly and he wasn't the lucky kind.

"You think we'll be able to keep this up?" The more she knew the Allen's the less she wanted to lie to them.

Barry glanced at Caitlin briefly and then turned to look at his mom and Iris, "It's been working so far,"

"Maybe we should come up with a convincing story about how you proposed,"

Barry nodded, "You're right," then he wondered… "How would you like to be proposed to Cait?"

"Hmm?" She blinked in surprise, she never really thought about that, "I don't know. I guess I never thought I would get married,"

That was like a double edged sword for Barry, oddly enough those words stung but also calmed him. Did Cait really never envisioned herself married? He thought she would be a lovely bride, "Really? You never thought about it?"

"I don't think so," she shrugged, grabbed Barry's arm and rested her head on his shoulder, "somehow I figured I would have you to keep me company," he was her favorite person in the whole world, she truly hoped they would have a long journey together.

Was it getting hot in here or was it him? He resisted the urge to pull at his collar.

"Can't we just say that you proposed to me after bribing me with your heavenly tea?" The Special Allen blend worked wonders for her lady days or even when she was having a bad day.

"Bribing you? I was only taking care of you,"

"If that's what you want to call it,"

They walked together towards the women ahead of them still engaged in their friendly banter.

{-}

For the most part the music had been selected, the coordinator had created a chart of where everything needed to be and the flower arrangements would arrive two days before the wedding, everything was set. Well mostly everything.

"I believe the happy couple will have their debut dance here," the coordinator pointed at the middle of the dance floor. "Have you chosen the song?"

"Of course, Eddie and I debated over this for months," Iris said jokingly, "but we decided it would be this one," she whispered in the coordinator's ear.

"Wonderful choice, how lovely."

It was already eight and Eddie still hadn't made his way to the dance hall, Iris was starting to get impatient and Nora noticed. "Don't worry dear, he'll come,"

"Why don't you practice the piece with your friend over there Ms. West?" she pointed at Barry.

"Me?" Barry had been talking to Caitlin just before the coordinator presented this excellent idea.

Caitlin thought this was a good opportunity for Barry to be close to Iris, since their day together had been interrupted yet again. "You should do it Barry,"

"I should?" Later he would wonder why he didn't just jump at the opportunity.

"You don't mind, do you Bar?" Iris asked sheepishly, somehow happy over this.

Barry looked at Caitlin who nodded at him giving her approval, "No, not at all,"

He went with Iris to the center of the hall and placed one hand on her waist while holding her other hand with his own.

"I take it you're not the jealous type Caitlin," Nora commented while sitting herself next to the doctor.

Caitlin smiled, just barely, "I have no reason to be," which was true, she knew where Barry's heart belonged and he had never lied to her about that. She didn't have any business being jealous.

"You must trust him that much,"

"I do," Caitlin said sincerely. Seeing how Barry danced flawlessly with Iris, from an outsiders' point of view one could think that they were the couple about to get married. Despite having heard about Iris so much over the years, it was different seeing Barry and Iris together. Caitlin didn't understand it, but instead of feeling supportive, she felt... out of place. As if she didn't belong here, but worse of all...as if she didn't have a place by Barry's side.

Nora looked at Caitlin intently and noticed how the girl was not jealous, far from it. What was evident that in Caitlin's eyes was an emotion far removed from jealousy. It was something else entirely…

Nora got closer the girl and whispered something in her ear.

Meanwhile Barry was battling a sea of emotions. Here he had the girl of his dreams in his arms just like he wanted, but something wasn't right. He loved Iris, he knew it, you can't just stop loving someone after so many years. Her dreamy eyes and perfect smile were everything to him, and yet…

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" Iris asked with her trademark pearly whites.

"Yeah, it has," the last time they danced together had been at prom and that was almost a decade ago.

"Barry, do you ever…" Iris stopped herself, this wasn't right.

"What?"

"When did you move on?" Iris changed her question entirely. She was not about to ask Barry if he ever wondered how their lives would be if they were still together. She choose to go to New York and start anew, and she didn't regret it.

Barry blinked at her in surprise, "Why are you asking me that?" It was this unspoken thing between them. Ever since they rekindled their friendship this was a taboo topic that they never discussed -how they both moved on, after a long history together.

"I mean, I know you've had this thing for Caitlin for a while now but -"

"What are you talking about?" Barry began to get flustered. _A thing for Caitlin?_ That was ridiculous, they were just friends. Okay, sure they were pretending to be engaged right now, but everyone talked to him as if him getting together with Cait had been inevitable and expected. He would tell Caitlin about this later, that way they could both share a good laugh at the notion. Barry turned his head looking for his young doctor and saw his mom telling Caitlin something that made her blush, which was rare. Caitlin almost never blushed, just like she never got embarrassed. He'd known her for eight years he would've noticed those things.

Just then Eddie, Joe, and Henry entered the place, and Eddie wasn't particularly fond by what he saw.

"Allen, great to finally meet you," while they both worked for the CCPD they worked at different precincts but Iris had made sure to talk about both men in her life, extensively, to one another.

"Eddie Thawne, right? Pleasure to meet you," he slowly disentangled himself from Iris and shook Eddie's hand. He was expecting an instant wave of hate to wash over him, but it never did. "Call me Barry, please,"

"Iris has told me so much about you,"

"Likewise,"

"Where's my future daughter-in law?" Henry asked while breaking the tension. "There she is," he saw the two women talking at the end of the hall, "Come Eddie, I would like you to meet someone,"

Everyone started making their way towards the women, "Hello love," Dr. Allen said with a big grin.

"Oh you're here Henry, glad you could make it," Nora got up and gave her husband a kiss on the cheek.

"Hello Dr. Allen," Caitlin also raised from her seat.

"Call me Henry dear," he pulled the doctor into a hug, "or you can call me dad too, we'll be family anyway,"

Caitlin gasped just barely. Calling Dr. Allen _dad_ , she simply couldn't do that as much as it warmed her heart. Barry noticed this reaction, knowing full well what those words meant for Caitlin.

"You must be Caitlin Snow," Eddie said politely, "I've heard a lot about you,"

"Eddie Thawne, I presume," she said, "I've heard a lot about you too," mostly Barry complaining about him, but she's heard a lot about Eddie Thawne.

"Hope you don't mind me taking my leading lady for a dance?" Eddie said charmingly to his audience while leading Iris away.

"He's perfect," Caitlin said unconsciously as the couple was retreating. This gained her the attention of four pairs of eyes.

Barry was not amused by this and sent a warning glare to Caitlin, she's supposed to make _him_ look good, not drool over Eddie.

"Genetically speaking!"

"I know what you mean," Nora chimed in looking dreamily at the blonde and the dark haired woman on the dance floor.

"Nora, honey, would you care for a dance?" He said through gritted teeth. What was his wife doing admiring another man?

Joe chuckled, "I'm going to make some calls. I'll leave you two for a while,"

Now it was just Barry and Caitlin again.

"What was that?" Barry said annoyed.

"What was what?" She said innocently.

"Really Cait?"

"I said it was genetically speaking, I'm a geneticist!"

Barry just rolled his eyes, "I'm a geneticist," he said mimicking her.

"It's true," she said with a bit of a high pitch.

"Yeah, whatever," he crossed his arms around his chest. Not only does Eddie have Iris, now he was taking Caitlin too.

"Oh come on Barry, you know you're my guy," she said with a playful push on his shoulder.

He suppressed a grin, "Sure, you say that now, because Eddie is not here,"

"Oh don't be a baby," he still pouted like a little kid, enjoying the attention. She rolled her eyes at his antics, "what can I do for you to get over it?"

Barry's eyes sparked with mischief, "Well if you insist, how about you dance with me?"

Caitlin looked at the two couples that danced as if they were created to be on the dancefloor. Even Barry's parents had this elegant air about them. "You know I'm a terrible dancer,"

"Come on, I'll lead," he was well aware she wasn't the best dancer out there, but he enjoyed dancing with her, what could he do about that?

"I don't know," she hesitated, probably poor Barry wouldn't be able to walk after dancing with her.

"I bet if Eddie were the one asking…" he mumbled, knowing well that would catch her attention.

"Okay fine," she dragged him to the dance floor but still far away from the rest of the couples. "Don't say I didn't warn you,"

He smiled triumphantly, "How bad could it be?" he slowly moved his hand to Caitlin's waist inadvertently caressing her back in the process. He felt her tense up briefly and then release a breath. She was nervous. Caitlin placed her left hand on Barry's shoulder and the right one atop his left hand.

"I think this is the part where we move," he whispered in her ear and that brought a familiar tingling sensation to the doctor.

"Oh, okay," she looked down to follow Barry's footsteps.

"One, two, three, sway," and they would glide to the side. "One, two, three, sway," they continued to repeat the motion until Caitlin felt more comfortable with her movements. She was looking down at her feet, making sure she didn't step on him, while Barry looked down at her smiling at her childlike fascination over learning a simple step. For a brilliant doctor she had an aura of innocence around her as if she still believed in all the good of the world.

"I think I'm getting it Barry," she said with happiness and looked up to see him with a big smile.

"I think so too," he said softly, losing himself in her eyes. For some reason they were more beautiful than before.

Caitlin's smile started to slowly disappear and she also looked intently into his green eyes. Why was her heart beating faster than usual again? This was Barry, her best friend in the whole world. The man who deserved all the happiness in the universe.

"Barry," she breathed as he unconsciously pulled her closer.

"Yes Cait," he said barely above a whisper.

Their faces were probably three inches away from each other and he was slowly reducing the distance. "What are you doing?" She asked just a breath away from his lips. She wasn't scared for what was to come, there was another feeling there…one that she couldn't quite pin point yet.

"I don't know," he closed his eyes and she did the same. For a moment everything else disappeared. It was just Barry and Caitlin on the dance floor and for the second time since the moment they had met… they kissed. It was such a soft brush of the lips, but it wasn't unfamiliar. He didn't know what possessed him to do it, or why he was doing it, all he knew was everything was right in the world and he wanted to freeze time right this instant.

So many thoughts were swirling in her head. Why was she kissing Barry? Why was Barry kissing her? Why did this _not_ feel weird? Would this ruin their friendship? Did Barry like her? No that wasn't possible, he liked Iris. They were here because of him wanting to get her back. A ridiculous plan of course, but the truth remained and that undeniable truth was that Barry loved Iris.

However, the real question was: _did she love Barry?_

They slowly pulled apart from each other and just stared at one another. Slowly, ever so slowly, Barry's lips began to curve upward in a smile and Caitlin found herself mirroring him.

"Hey," he said as if he were looking at her for the first time. As if he had found something precious and was afraid of breaking it.

"Hi," she breathed in a way which made his heart skip a beat.

There was this palpable tension in the air but before anyone could say anything else they heard the coordinator clap her hands in front of them.

"So sorry to interrupt but your friends already left and we're about to close for the day."

And the Worse Timing Award goes to...Oh Barry had this urge to send this lady away, very far away. How could she interrupt such an intimate moment?

"Yes, no problem," Caitlin pulled away quickly and gathered her purse, "come on Barry, let's go before they leave us behind."

And the Caitlin that blushed and lost herself in his eyes was gone.

{-}

That night Henry found his son staring aimlessly at his coke.

"Everything okay son?" He got a granola bar for himself.

"Dad, have you ever wanted something for so long that not wanting it just feels strange?"

Henry raised his eyebrows not understanding completely what Barry meant, "Like what Barry?"

"I'm not sure how to explain it dad," Barry sighed, "I've wanted something so much and for so long that now I wonder if that kept me from seeing what I actually had,"

"Son," Henry placed a fatherly arm on his shoulder, "whatever it is, take your time and listen to your heart. Know yourself first before you hurt anyone in the process."

Barry looked at his dad a man twice his age, full of wisdom and strength. He was grateful for having such a wonderful father, "Thanks Dad,"

He walked back to the room he shared with Caitlin and noticed the lights were off.

"Cait," he called in the darkness but she didn't answer. He sighed to himself, she was probably sleep. Maybe it was better this way.

"Sweet dreams," he said while turning around and hugging his pillow. Today he didn't trust that he could keep from hugging the woman next to him.

After almost an hour, very light snores were heard and a pair hazel eyes started to open. Caitlin had been awake the whole time but wasn't sure how to face her friend of almost a decade. She couldn't allow herself another slip up, this would put in jeopardy Barry's plan. Sure she thought it had a 99% probability of failure but if Barry was going to let go of the woman he's loved for so many years, it was something that he needed to do on his own. She couldn't confuse him and she couldn't confuse herself they were just friends and nothing more. Barry was someone she loved dearly and had so much respect for, whatever Nora had seen in her eyes was nothing more than the love and concern of a friend.

" _You love him a lot, don't you?"_

That was what Nora told her earlier that day. Back then she had been unable to respond to her, what could she tell her anyway? _No, I don't love your son_. That would've been a lie. _Yes, of course I love him._ She did, she did love Barry, but not in the way that Nora believed.

She didn't love him that way, really, she didn't.

{-}

 _ **It Started With A Kiss**_

 _Today was a special day for Caitlin. It was the anniversary of her parents' death. They had died when she was in high school. Her father had passed after battling multiple sclerosis for many years, and her mother...well she decided she couldn't live without the man of her life, and just like that left her too._

 _She had told Barry and Cisco that she wasn't feeling well and would pass on their Friday Movie Marathon. While her friends were very important to her, today she wouldn't be the best company for them and she didn't want to ruin their fun. She headed to Central City's Memorial Park, which was in bloom and had cherry blossom trees everywhere. She loved them, they reminded her of the walks she would have with her father back when she was a child. She passed the park and a few steps away was the cemetery, the gravestones and flower arrangements were telling._

 _She walked a path she knew well, a path she'd travel for the last four years. Once she found the gravestone she was looking for she knelt and deposited a small bouquet of white roses for her parents. Those were her mother's favorites, or at least Caitlin believed they were, as they were the only flowers her father would bring her. After setting the flowers and saying a small prayer she laid on the grass and looked at the clear sky taking a red hue as it settled into dusk._

" _I'm doing well in school," Caitlin said to her parents, "my professors think I have potential to be a great doctor," she smiled sadly. The reason she wanted to be a doctor so fiercely since she was young was to work on a permanent cure for her father. Unfortunately, he passed too soon. But she knew deep in her heart she would work hard to be the best geneticist and find a cure for the toughest diseases out there. "Aside from school, I have two great friends, I know you guys would've love them,"_

 _She closed her eyes and remembered those dorks that she loved dearly. How they became great friends was still a mystery to her. Surely there was a clear compatibility between Barry and Cisco, who met during their freshman year, but her? She was the odd one out, and they still put up with her making her feel special._

" _Cisco is an engineering genius, just don't let him touch anything chemical related," she still remembered her drunken haze thanks to Cisco. "And Barry...well Barry is special too," she still found it hard to put the appreciation she felt for Barry into words. He was her first real friend. Not that she'd told him that, but in any case he was a special friend to her._

 _She laid down on the grass and spent the next 2 hours talking to her parents about her life, what she had done these last few years, what her plans were for the future, her adventures with Barry and Cisco, and how she kept them both in check. She would ask them questions too, but knew full well they wouldn't answer her._

 _When the night had settled she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and told her parents, very softly, what she had been wanting to tell them since she arrived._

" _I miss you," towards the end her voice broke and she bit her cheek to keep herself from actually crying. Even after her efforts one lonely tear rolled down her cheek._

 _She felt a thumb rub that tear away softly and she quickly snapped her eyes open and sat up. She hadn't realized anyone was there._

" _Hey,"_

 _She saw those caring green eyes she was most fond of staring at her, "What...what are you doing here?"_

 _Barry, who had been kneeling before, sat in front of Caitlin, "It wasn't that much fun without you, besides Cisco actually scored a date today," he said with a smile._

" _How did you know I was here?"_

 _He actually averted his gaze and scratched the back of his neck nervously, "Well...can we just say that I just happened to walk by and saw you here?"_

 _Caitlin narrowed her eyes at him, if she were in her right mind she would ask more but for now she would let it slide._

 _Her friend of almost three years extended his hand towards her face and she couldn't help but stare in surprise. Just like he had done earlier he brushed another stubborn tear away. This time, however, he left his hand in place, giving her soft skin a caress, "You know it's okay to cry, right Cait?"_

 _She didn't know what to say, her heart began to beat rapidly in her chest, like she had been waiting for those words for a lifetime. She didn't have any family left, her grandparents had already passed away as well, and she didn't have any uncles, aunts, or cousins to rely on. To hear someone say that it was okay to cry when she hadn't been able to do that for years, felt...liberating._

 _Then she started to sob –loudly. She missed her parents so much, she was upset at her dad for leaving too soon, and mad at her mom for_ _ **choosing**_ _to leave her alone. Barry pulled her in gently, slowly patting her back and letting her cry and release all of those emotions she had been holding on to. It truly broke his heart seeing her like this. He had never seen her cry before, and now he knew he never wanted to see her cry in angst again. Caitlin was always so giving, self-less, and the most thoughtful and loyal person he had ever met. He was so very fortunate to have her in his life, it was a blessing he never wanted to take for granted._

" _It's okay Cait, let it all out," he said soothingly._

 _She continued to cry and hugged him tighter, Barry was her support and her strength, she will forever be thankful for that night when they met. After a few more minutes of (ugly) crying Caitlin started to pull away slowly, not completely letting go, she wasn't ready yet._

" _Th...Thank you," she said in between hiccups._

" _Any time," he said with a comforting smile, with his arms still around her._

 _Her eyes were bloodshot red, she had a runny nose, and she was still hiccupping, but in that moment of vulnerability Barry Allen found Caitlin Snow to be very beautiful._

 _Mysteriously, Caitlin found herself returning Barry's smile, just barely. What had she done to deserve such an amazing friend? Her hazel eyes wanted to convey all the gratitude that she felt at that moment and she looked intently at her friend, quietly, patiently._

 _Barry couldn't help but return her stare with just as much intensity, it was as if they wanted to tell each other something but they weren't sure what to say._

 _Caitlin's hands slowly made their way to Barry's face, but he didn't take his eyes off of her he just waited for whatever was coming next._

 _Some strange force was possessing her body and Caitlin felt herself slowly move closer to her friend. She must've looked like a horrible mess, but Barry's eyes told her a completely different story. When she was just a breath away she heard him ask…_

" _What are you doing?" he didn't pull away, his tone wasn't surprised or disgusted, actually if you paid close attention what he meant to say was_ _ **are you sure?**_

" _I don't know," she said sincerely while closing her eyes and for the first time since the moment they met she kissed him._

 _Barry's body took life of its own and he pulled her even closer but kissed her just as softly as she had kissed him._

 _This was Caitlin's first kiss and yet she felt like this was something she could do for the rest of her life. Kissing Barry was like going home after being away for so long. Like hot-chocolate on a snowy day. He was home, he was comfort, he was safety, and for those seconds he became her everything._

 _Slowly they both pulled away but there was no embarrassment there, no shy smiles, or incessant blushes and stammering. Just two people who understood each other._

 _One moment they were staring at each other as if their life depended on it, the next Caitlin pulled away completely and got a handkerchief out of her purse._

" _Sorry, I ruined your shirt," she said as she dabbed at it trying to clean it._

" _It's okay," he said without taking his eyes off of her, even though she focused on cleaning his shirt._

" _Barry,"_

" _Hm,"_

" _Thank you for being my friend,"_

 _He was slightly taken aback by her words, but the reality was that neither of them was ready to get into a relationship. Just last week he was complaining to poor Caitlin about Iris' Facebook picture with a blonde named Eddie, and Caitlin...well Caitlin, had never been in a relationship before, it was hard for her to define the boundaries between friendship and love._

" _Always Cait,"_

 _In the end Barry helped Caitlin get back to her dorm safely. He told her a few jokes on the way, trying to get her to smile, and as she closed the door and he walked the opposite way back to his own he couldn't help but wonder if they would ever kiss again._

 _ **Thanks Felicity, you're a lifesaver. -Barry**_

{x}

 _I have no idea why my chapters are this long…thank you for reading 5000+ words!_

 _I hope this chapter gives even more insight into Barry and Caitlin's relationship. I think it's all a matter of timing with those two. So be patient with those poor souls, I promise you they'll get there…eventually._

 _A warm thank you to those who have favorited/followed the story, and a big BIG hug to those who have taken the time to leave their review:_ _ **Amelia, Maya, Raquel, stars90, Shadow9841, Nienke Whovian, Guest 1, shyesplease, TieDyeJackson, icekrim91, Savitarrocks 1419, NightFurball, Awesomeness2505, ShanouNash, Guest 2.**_

 _ **Guest 2:**_ _I'm so happy you loved the chapters. Hope you loved this one too!_

 _ **ShanouNash**_ _: No worries, I'm very thankful for you just leaving a review so don't worry about the timing._

 _Ah Barry and Caitlin, they can be frustratingly cute at times. Isn't Barry just adorable? A big worrywart indeed. Oh, and Nora is totally on to them, mom's just know these things, it's like a super power._

 _This was supposed to be a short story, quick and simple almost like Blind Date, but it took shape of its own and the more I wrote for it the longer it would get, and here we are…I have the other chapter written but it's being edited at this time._

 _So you don't think French is the language of love? Haha, that's a first. I guess language doesn't matter, it's all about love, isn't it?_

 _Oh please ask away. It helps me as I'm re-reading or writing to make sure I include little details for the story to make more sense._

 _Have an amazing week!_

 _ **Awesomeness2505**_ _: Can I just say that your penname is pretty_ _ **awesome**_ _lol (lame joke, sorry). Here's the update my friend. I will definitely check out your story this week. I'm a big sucker for Snowbarry stories._

 _ **NightFurball**_ _: Here's the next chapter, let me know what you think._

 _ **Savitarrocks1419**_ _: And I love you! Thank you for reading and reviewing._

 _ **Icekrim91**_ _: I'm quite fond of those flashbacks too. What did you think of this one?_

 _ **TieDyeJackson**_ _: Amen to that! The shows need to go based on the chemistry of the characters and understand that they don't have to stick to the source material all the time, they already take liberties to change other things…_

 _Anyway, thank you so much for reading and reviewing! Hope you liked this chapter too._

 _ **Shyesplease**_ _: He is, isn't he? I know he's a big dork. Season 1 Barry will always be my favorite, that's the type of Barry I was going for here._

 _Thank you for catching up on those things. Pay special attention to things they mention in passing as many times it makes their way on a flashback…just thought I would put that out there._

 _You know which picture!? Isn't it adorable? I'm a big Superman fan myself so I had to capitalize on his obsession lol._

 _Oh Nora…she's something else. I was trying but not really trying to be discrete (does that even make sense?). It's like she knows, but does she really know?_

 _I promised and I delivered. The kisses were short but full of meaning. Who knows what will happen next…_

 _ **Guest 1:**_ _Awww they're just so amazingly cute, those two. Although Caitlin's perception is much more subtle, I do have a couple of things planned to let you know exactly how she feels, and why she acts the way she does at times. In this chapter I also wanted to include more things from her perspective, hopefully I was able to transmit that._

 _ **Nienke Whovian**_ _: Thank you! Well here's the next chapter, hopefully it was just as good as the previous one, if not better. Let me know your thoughts on this new flashback._

 _ **Shadow9841**_ _: Oh, I'm evil aren't I? Bwahahahaha. Let me know what you thought about the chapter._

 _ **Stars90**_ _: Yes, our favorite clueless Barry. I wonder how he'll come around…_

 _ **Raquel**_ _: Glad you loved it. Ugh, I love Nora too, she's such and interesting character, that woman._

 _I'm glad college is almost over, are you graduating soon?_

 _On the animes I am watching Wotakoi (or Watokoi? I always get it wrong), and trying to catch up on the new season of CCS…I'm still trying to come to terms with the new cards. You know it's hard for me to try out new animes but you can ask me all about InuYasha and Sailor Moon (I've watched those a million times over). What about you?_

 _Oh the K-Dramas I really like too, but I get that they're not for everyone. Maybe I could recommend you one, depending on the genre you like? If not, then it's all good._

 _ **Maya**_ _: Aww thank you. I told you the story was too sweet for its own good. Barry is just…ugh… so frustratingly cute._

 _ **Amelia**_ _: I hope this chapter also makes it to the list of your loved chapters. Nora…does she know? Does she not know? Does she have a plan? Who knows…_


	5. Chapter 5

_**.**_

 _ **.**_

 _ **.**_

 _ **Great Possibilities**_

D-3

Barry woke up later than usual. His alarm didn't go off and Caitlin wasn't next to him anymore. He didn't know whether to be relieved or disappointed by her absence. He stayed in bed and stared at the ceiling wondering what the heck was going on between them. He didn't regret kissing her, why would he? But at the same time he felt he was being unfair to Caitlin. She deserved much better than a guy who was pinning after his first girlfriend (and had been doing so for a long, long, long time). He wondered if their, erm, kiss, would somehow put tension on their friendship. He wasn't sure how he should act next to her. Was it better to just forget about it? Should he say something? Would _she_ say something?

Last time they had kissed she just moved on and he followed her lead. Would they just pretend it never happened again?

"Earth to Barry," his dad called from the door, "I've been calling you for the last ten minutes, everything okay son?" His dad said with a teasing grin.

Barry jumped out of bed, "Yeah, yeah, everything is fine. I was just…" what was a convincing excuse?

"It's fine. Come on, let's get some breakfast and catch up. We will meet the girls later and pick up our tuxes,"

Oh yeah, he had to get his tux too, as the _man of honor_ , "Sure, let me just get changed."

Henry took his son to Big Belly Burger, they were guys so no need to be fancy, and they both loved the place.

"Mom wouldn't approve," Barry said mischievously.

"She doesn't have to know," and they both shared a laugh.

After placing their orders, they sat at a nearby booth and Henry couldn't help but say, "So,"

"So?"

"Your mom sent me a pretty interesting picture yesterday," Henry pulled his cellphone and was looking for the picture.

Barry just shook his head imagining what crazy antics his parents had this time for him today. In the meantime, he enjoyed his strawberry milkshake, Big Belly Burger made the best shakes hands down.

Before handing Barry his phone, Henry had the biggest Cheshire cat smile.

Barry took the phone ready to laugh but what he saw on the screen was far from funny, he ended up _spewing_ his milkshake on his dad's phone.

In response his dad let out a hearty laugh, same old Barry, "I guess you were both too busy to pay attention to us,"

"How did she…?"

"You know your mother, she has her ways,"

Covered in strawberry milkshake was a picture of one Barry Allen and one Caitlin Snow kissing. His mom must've been a talented photographer in another life because that picture was the definition of a Kodak-moment.

While Barry was attempting to clean his dad's phone, after his little attack, he heard his dad tell him, "I was worried that you wouldn't take Iris' wedding well,"

Barry scoffed, "Why wouldn't I? We're friends," he finished cleaning the phone screen, finally.

"Precisely," his father nodded.

The CSI looked at his father expectantly.

"You're friends Barry, I know you shared a history together, but it wasn't meant to be and to be frank, you both look much happier now." There, he had said it.

Barry didn't say anything and just chewed on his burger. He didn't know how to respond to his dad's statement. There was some awkward silence, but his dad continued.

"Son, I've noticed that there's something odd about you and Caitlin," Henry said as he chewed on a fry.

 _Oh no, was his dad onto him too?_ "Odd?" the early awkwardness was replaced by mild anxiousness.

"Yes, it's like…" he struggled to find the right words, "let me try to explain myself," he took a moment and then pressed on, "when I see you and Caitlin it reminds me of your mother and I,"

"It does?" Barry asked surprised, because in his eyes his parents were the two people on this earth that were the most openly in love with one another.

"Of course," his father said with a knowing smile, "but, there's something else,"

"What is it?" Barry said at the edge of his seat leaning forward in keen interest.

"It's like you both don't know it,"

"Know what?" Barry asked not quite understanding.

"That you're in love,"

He was glad he wasn't drinking anything right now, or else he would have another spewing or choking moment, just about now.

"Of course we know we're in love!" He said with a nervous laugh. While in reality his mind was going in all different directions. They were acting as a fake couple so maybe they were such great actors that their chemistry was palpable. No, that didn't sound right. Since the moment he came up with this grandiose idea to break up Iris' wedding and pose as a fake couple he hasn't acted any different towards Caitlin than he would otherwise (save for that kiss, that was out of their normal). Caitlin was also being herself, she told him from the get go that it would be very hard for her to treat him any different (since she'd never been in a relationship before).

He didn't know how to feel about this. It's not like he could outright correct his dad and say _It's not like that!_ Why was everyone telling him these things? It just confused him more. Yes he liked Caitlin, no scratch that, he _loved_ her. But he loved her as a friend. They were only friends, very close friends who could tell each other anything and everything, so why did everyone keep seeing something that wasn't there? Or was he missing something?

"Right," Henry said somewhat unconvinced, "what does this old geezer like me know anyway?" he said with a self-deprecating smile.

Barry smiled in kind, "Dad, you're not an old geezer,"

"I know, I just like to hear you say it," he said with a wink.

{-}

Caitlin had purposefully avoided waking up Barry, she didn't want him to get flustered so early in the morning. She had an idea of how Barry would react in the aftermath of their kiss, but they both needed time to settle down, think clearly, and come back to the security of their friendship.

"Thank you Caitlin for coming with us," Iris said excitedly. Today she would be finalizing all the small little details on her wedding dress.

"Thank you for having me," she was fortunate Nora included her in this outing, she wasn't sure what she would do if she was left alone with Barry.

"Another set of eyes will do us well," Nora sad while lacing her arm with Caitlin's, "especially the eyes of a detail oriented doctor,"

They entered the dress shop and while Caitlin wasn't the girliest girl out there she was utterly impressed with the wedding dress selection. There were more than she had ever seen in her life.

"You're going to love the dress that I chose," the bride-to-be couldn't help but say.

"Oh it's lovely," Nora agreed.

Iris left to formally try her dress on and come back to receive all the compliments the future bride was due.

"I remember when I was getting married," Nora sighed, "such a wonderful memory,"

"I'd love to hear that story," Caitlin said with a sparkle in her eyes.

"One day, one day, I'll tell you all about it Caitlin. Why don't _you_ tell me a story?" Nora asked innocently.

"I'm not a good storyteller, but I can try,"

Nora smiled deceptively at her, "How did you fall in love with my Barry?" This was a story that Nora _needed_ to hear. Those two should've known better than to try and one over her.

Caitlin looked ahead at the empty spot surrounded by mirrors where Iris would make her appearance any moment. Sadly it wasn't soon enough, "To be honest, I don't know," she wasn't a good liar and figured an ambiguous answer was the best way to go.

"It's hard to pinpoint the exact moment," Nora wouldn't give up easily, she had a plan of her own, "but one day you wake up and realize that things aren't the same as before,"

"Is that a bad thing?" Caitlin asked with hesitation, her friendship with Barry was one of her most treasured things in the world.

Nora shook her head, "It doesn't have to be. Actually, many times it's a wonderful thing,"

"Okay, so what do you think?" Iris said beaming from the platform and twirling her beautiful fitted bridal dress around.

"Oh wow, you look so beautiful Iris," Caitlin said with admiration.

Iris grinned, "Thanks, I had to diet and workout like you wouldn't believe, but it was well worth it,"

"Why would you? You look amazing," Caitlin said sincerely.

Iris swelled at the compliment, "The price of beauty, Caitlin," the doctor was so nice. While there was still this ugly feeling gnawing at her from time to time when she saw Barry and Caitlin together, she couldn't bring herself to dislike her. Iris turned to the seamstress to give her further instructions on some adjustments.

"That will be you one day," Nora whispered to Caitlin.

Caitlin internally sighed, she felt horrible for making Nora believe that, and only nodded.

"I'll be right back," Iris said as she walked away with the seamstress discussing ideas.

"Would you like to try one?" Nora asked barely disguising her excitement.

"One what?" She wasn't liking where this was going, Nora couldn't possibly mean…

"A wedding dress, of course," Oh the young doctor won't be able to get out of this one.

Caitlin shook her head and hands wildly, "I couldn't possibly do that,"

"Why not?" The matriarch tilted her head ever so slightly and gave Caitlin a hurt look.

The girl felt a stab to the heart, she couldn't possibly deny Mrs. Allen this request, but she didn't feel comfortable giving her more false hope, "Maybe next time…?" She tried.

"It would make me _truly_ _happy_ if you did it today,"

"This is Iris' time, I couldn't possibly ruin that for her," hopefully that would work.

Nora nodded thoughtfully, the girl had a point, but she won't be cutting her any slack, not today, "I don't think she'll mind, she will still be with that seamstress for another hour. But if you don't want to…" her eyes were downcast and she frowned pitifully.

"I'll do it," Caitlin said with a defeated sigh.

"Excellent!" Nora clapped to herself and dragged the girl towards a whole selection of wedding dresses. "Is there a style that you have in mind darling?"

Since Caitlin didn't really believe she would ever get married, she had no preference, "I'm open to your suggestions,"

"Wonderful. Take this, this, this, oh and that one in the back," The matriarch pulled dresses that she had eyed as soon as she stepped inside the store and handed them to her future daughter-in-law.

"Let me get started with these," Caitlin almost drowned in the all the dresses Nora had handed her, but if that made her happy, Caitlin would try as many dresses as she wanted.

Dress 1

It was an ivory dress with long sleeves and a mermaid style cut with an intricate pattern on the fabric –Caitlin could barely walk with it.

"No, that's not the one," Nora didn't approve.

Dress 2

The dress was beige with a sweetheart neckline. It was comprised of a fancy corset at the top and a relaxed skirt with a layer of lace on top. It was lovely...but it wasn't the one.

"It's an improvement but it doesn't have that glow, that spark, where you just know…"

Caitlin nodded, not really understanding what the woman meant.

At least she could walk with this one.

{-}

He had spent a great time with his dad. They talked a lot about the little things that they've missed out on each other's lives. He definitely missed him, even when they lived in the same city there was still a considerable distance between their homes and he couldn't come visit as much as he would like. Henry would tell stories about his work at the hospital and the sea of patients that would brighten up his day. There were also these funny anecdotes of him and Joe getting lost while going to Kansas City for a Car Convention and how Nora never let them hear they end of it, since they didn't listen to her when she asked them to confirm the directions.

Barry laughed, "Mom never forgets when you don't listen to her,"

His father nodded, "Believe me, I _know_ ,"

They were walking slowly, very slowly, making their way to the wedding dress shop to meet with the girls. Sadly, Joe couldn't join them because he was pulled away for a case. Both Allen's thought that was a very lucky coincidence, as they were not fond of dress shopping. What man would be?

"Have you guys talked about a date?" Henry looked at Barry out of the corner of his eye and then looked ahead once again.

"A date for what?"

"For your wedding," The older Allen said with a grin, "Sometimes I wonder if you're actually engaged,"

Uh-oh, this was not good. His dad was the oblivious one, he couldn't know… "Of course we're engaged!" Barry said quickly, "Come on dad, you've been saying a lot of weird things today," he ran a nervous hand through his hair.

Henry shrugged, "I could be wrong," he hummed to himself, "I mean, I can see that you guys are head over heels for each other, but…"

Head over heels for each other? Ha! They were just _friends_. Very good friends, that was all. "Look, we're here," Barry said overjoyed, never being so thankful for a wedding dress store than now.

Henry shook his head, "I'm so glad, we only have to wear traditional black tuxes," women were so complicated.

"You and me both dad," Barry agreed emphatically.

They entered the store with a long sigh, only God knew what they would face in this dreadful place. What neither of them was expecting was a Caitlin Snow in a wedding dress twirling around much to Nora's delight.

Caitlin had a dazzling smile, she was so openly and purely happy right now. She could care less about the dresses, but it was the rather the Allen matriarch that made her smile. She would tell her such pretty words that for this brief moment she truly wanted to believe she was engaged to Barry and was having the time of her life with her mother-in-law. In the back of her mind she imagined her mom would've been just as happy to see her as a bride and go dress shopping. She could already envision their disagreements over dresses: lace or no lace? A-line or fitted? Sleeves or no sleeves? And Caitlin would surely go with whatever the elder women preferred, because she would just want to make them happy.

His heart was beating a mile a minute, he actually had to do a double take to make sure that the person in front of the vanity mirrors was Caitlin, the same Caitlin he'd known since he was a freshmen at college and thought was a guy. Sure she was a far cry from that time, but still! Who was this lovely woman in a snow white princess dress giggling and smiling as if there was no tomorrow.

"Caitlin?" Barry asked in awe.

The woman in question stopped mid-twirl to look at the person that was calling her, "Barry?" She had completely forgotten that he would be coming. "I forgot you would be coming," her demeanor immediately went back to her neutral expression. However, Barry knew better than to be put off by the sudden change, her flushed cheeks were telling. She attempted to get down from the platform and go change quickly, she wasn't here to have fun anyway. Unexpectedly, she missed her step and was about to fall head-on to the floor.

"Caitlin!" Nora practically jumped from her seat, but wasn't fast enough to catch her.

Thankfully, she didn't need to be.

"Are you okay?" Barry, who had safely secured his fake fiancé in his arms, asked.

The doctor let out a relieved sigh and looked up to her savior, "I am, thank you,"

"Good," he slowly helped her stand up but didn't take his arms away, "you look beautiful as a bride," Barry told her with a faint blush. He didn't understand what compelled him to say that, but he felt he couldn't live with himself if he hadn't.

Why was her heart beating wildly again? This was just Barry. He'd told her she was pretty before, or that she looked nice. Although he'd never called her beautiful, not that she remembered anyway. But none of that explained her erratic heartbeat.

They couldn't stop staring at each other and Caitlin began to feel a familiar pull, just like yesterday before they kissed. She closed her eyes hard and gently pushed herself away from Barry. "I'll go get changed," she ended up saying.

He felt her warmth leave him and he instantly missed it, he sent one wistful look after his hazel eyed friend.

The exchanged didn't go unnoticed by his parents, who shared knowing glances at one another.

"What did I miss?" Iris asked while walking in from the other room and seeing Nora and Henry sharing complicit stares and Barry looking wistfully at a closed dressing room.

"Nothing darling," Nora said quickly, "will they have your dress ready on time?"

Iris grinned, "Absolutely,"

Barry just now noticed that the woman he'd have a crush on for over ten years was in the room. He slowly turned to her, and while his reaction wasn't as strong as he would've thought, he was stunned by the woman in front of him. Iris was wearing an intricate wedding dress, much more sophisticated than Caitlin's. Iris looked immensely pretty and radiant in her wedding gown.

"Iris you look…" he struggled to find the appropriate words.

Iris twirled in front of him, "Majestic, wonderful, the most beautiful creature you've ever seen,"

"You look amazing," he said with a warm smile.

Iris suppressed a gasp. While there was no doubt that Barry was smiling at her and she could feel his sincerity, for the first time she recognized that there was something missing in his stare. Those green eyes that she knew well were warm and loving, but they didn't have that special spark that Iris remembered.

{-}

He looked at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. This was a night like any other night, they've been sleeping in this same room for the past three days. He's slept at her apartment and vice versa before. So why in the world would this be any different?

"Barry do you have a minute?" Caitlin called from the other side of the door.

"Yes, yes, I'll be right out," he put his shirt on quickly and stepped outside, "what's up?" he said as he smoothly leaned on the door frame, trying to act suave.

The woman, however, was oblivious to his attempts. Instead she chewed on her bottom lip and Barry was instantly alerted that something wasn't right.

"I think we need to talk about something," she said firmly. As if finally coming to terms with that statement.

Oh no, something akin to fear started to settle into Barry's stomach, "What is it?"

After one long sigh the doctor said, "That kiss yesterday,"

"Oh,"

Caitlin took Barry's hand and led him to the bed where they both sat facing each other, "Barry I…"

Barry looked intently, he was waiting for her to say something, although he wasn't sure what exactly he wanted to hear.

"Last night," she hesitated with her words, which was unusual.

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry," was all Caitlin could say.

Barry blinked at her in surprise, why was she apologizing?

"I know that you came here for Iris and it seems like I haven't been so helpful," she said with a determined gaze. "What happened yesterday will _not_ happen again," she couldn't allow her heart to waiver for even a second.

Somehow he felt disappointed, but he wasn't in love with Caitlin, he was in love with Iris West. So why should he say any different?

She smiled at him relieved by finally clearing the air, "Thank goodness, I was scared this might've strained our friendship,"

Barry gave her a small smile, "Never," internally he felt relieved but somehow disappointed. Would he have preferred that the kiss pushed their friendship to something more? No, no, of course not. They weren't like that. What he felt last night was...he didn't know what it was, but it wasn't love, not the romantic kind anyway.

"So can we move past the awkwardness and just be ourselves again?" She looked at him with those warm hazel eyes.

"Of course," he opened his arms for her and she didn't hesitate to jump into them and embrace him tightly.

 _This was perfect_ , she thought to herself. His arms were her home and she hoped he would the there for her for as many days she had left to live. Barry was her home.

Barry rested his chin on her head. They were back to the way they've always been but why did it feel different? Something wasn't right…

"Hey Barry," she said softly

"Hm,"

"Are you still trying to get Iris to change her mind?" In her heart she knew that his efforts would be futile. Although, she hadn't been oblivious to Iris' reactions to Barry. It seemed that there was something that still needed to be said between those two. Like a chapter that wasn't completely finished. But Caitlin was no fool and as much as Iris wanted Barry's attention, she wanted Eddie's heart much more. What broke the young doctor's heart was that her friend would get hurt in the process.

"Yeah," he said softly, even though his tone was much different than the enthusiastic one he had used when he came up with his plan.

"I see," her friend still wanted to go through that road. She slowly pulled herself away from him and looked into his deep green eyes, "there's something else I want to tell you,"

Without missing a beat Barry asked, "What is it?" For some odd reason his heart beat sped up. What would she tell him this time? The seconds that went by were never ending for him, until Caitlin's voice was heard once again.

"Your shirt is on backwards,"

Barry just gaped at her and saw her settle onto her side of the bed.

"Good night," she said while turning on her side and turning off her night light.

Great, this was just great. He pulled off his red shirt and put it on properly this time. Why did these things happened to him? No wonder people couldn't take him seriously. He went to his side of the bed and sat with his back leaning against the bed rest. He glanced at Caitlin briefly and not for the first time thought about the level of trust she had in him. She was already sleeping soundly in bed knowing well that there was a man next to her. Not that he would do anything to her, he wouldn't! Really. However, any other woman would at least feel uncomfortable. Then again Caitlin wasn't like any other woman.

Ugh, why did she confuse him so much!?

His phone buzzed notifying him of a text message. Who would text him at this hour?

It was a message from his mom. How weird, she was in her room upstairs…

He opened the message and couldn't believe his eyes. He opened them so wide that it was a miracle they hadn't popped out.

 _You can thank me later sweetie : ) –Mom_

He wouldn't just thank his mom, he would be her slave if she wanted him to. This was a heavenly gift! He smiled warmly at the picture on his screen. There she was in all her splendor the woman that had been with him for the last eight years.

Staring back at him through his screen was his favorite doctor wearing the same wedding dress that he had seen on her earlier in the day and was smiling dreamily at him. He enlarged the picture and brushed his thumb over her cheek.

Whoever married his Caitlin would be one lucky, lucky, man.

{-}

Henry took off his reading glasses and saw his wife giggle madly on her side of the bed.

"Everything okay love?"

Big mischievous eyes looked back at him, "Everything is _perfect,_ " she handed her husband her phone to show him what she had been up to.

The doctor saw a lovely picture of his future daughter-in-law and grinned at his wife, "Let's hope Barry wasn't drinking a strawberry milkshake this time,"

"Huh?" Nora was confused, what did strawberry milkshakes have to do with this?

Henry just shook his head and turned off the lights. As they both settled in bed Henry took his phone and looked for a very special picture, Nora had given him a great idea. He found the picture and sent it to his son.

Barry would have a great memory to wake up to.

He could thank him later.

{-}

 _ **You're Beautiful...It's True**_

 _This was the year after Caitlin finished med school and they were driving to Star City for Felicity's wedding and to meet their friend Cisco, who they hadn't seen in over a year._

" _Aren't you excited? We'll be meeting the CEOs of Queen Industries and Palmer Tech," Barry couldn't contain his excitement._

 _Caitlin nodded, "Yeah," she was more excited to see Cisco and Felicity, "I'm just happy to see Cisco and Felicity again,"_

" _Me too!" He had so many movies to discuss with Cisco and he wanted to ask Felicity how she ended up marrying the CEO of Queen Industries in less than three years working at the company. "How do you think Felicity and Oliver get together?"_

 _Caitlin thought about it carefully, "Great question. I guess love just happens," she shrugged, not being an expert on the matter._

" _What's this, stop the presses, Caitlin Snow just talked about love," he teased._

" _I'm not opposed to it," she defended herself._

" _You just never talk about it,"_

 _Caitlin rolled her eyes, "Some of us have better things to do than to fall in love and pin after people,"_

 _Barry flinched, that had hurt._

 _Caitlin realized her mistake and quickly apologized, "Sorry, that was not what I meant to say,"_

 _Barry's playful demeanor was gone, "It's fine,"_

 _She felt horrible, how could she say something so thoughtless? They stayed silent for the next hour until Caitlin found the courage to speak up again._

" _Ronnie asked me out," she said out of the blue._

 _Barry immediately hit the brakes and pulled to the side. They were lucky they were the only ones driving on that road right now._

" _He did!?" Why that sneaky engineer, he had been after Caitlin since they met at STAR Labs. Barry told Caitlin as much and she didn't believe him._

" _Please don't break like that ever again," she almost had a heart attack, "and yes, he did,"_

" _What did you tell him?" His big brother instincts were flaring up. Poor Caitlin was still too innocent in the realm of dating._

" _I didn't say much,"_

 _He didn't know whether to be relieved or worried. "Why?"_

" _I was busy with my thesis," she shrugged. "I told you, I have better things to do than get into a relationship," she was slightly terrified of them too._

 _Barry nodded, okay he could live with that. Let the poor girl finish her thesis first, then she could think about dating._

" _Besides, I might've told him that I already have a boyfriend,"_

 _He did a double take, "You_ _ **WHAT**_ _!?" his voice was too high pitched for his own ears. Who was this boyfriend he didn't know about? Why had she neglected to tell him? What did he do for a living? Should he look into his criminal record now that he worked at CCPD?_

 _Caitlin began to fidget with her shirt, "Yeah," she gave him a sheepish smile, and this worried him to no end, "I might've told him that_ _ **you**_ _were my boyfriend," she didn't have time for relationships and she's already pretended to be Barry's girlfriend before to get him out of bad dates._

 _Ah, Barry let out a sigh of relief he wasn't aware he had been holding, "Phew, you scared me back there,"_

" _I hope you don't mind," she gave him her special doe eyed look._

 _Ugh, how Barry hated her when she did that. She was just too adorable, "No, no, it's fine," if that kept the vultures away it was fine._

" _I'm glad," she ended with a relieved smile._

 _{-}_

 _At the party Cisco found Barry amongst the sea of guests._

" _Glad to see you again man!" they shared a man hug and took two glasses of Champaign. "Where's our leading lady?"_

" _Caitlin? Oh, she spent the day with Felicity helping her with all the last minute stuff,"_

" _Cool," Cisco took a sip of his champagne and then looked curiously at his friend, "I hear that you guys got together finally,"_

 _Barry almost choked on his drink, "What? Who?"_

" _You and Caitlin, duh!" Cisco had the widest toothy grin._

" _Who told you_ _ **that**_ _?"_

" _You know...I have ears everywhere,"_

 _Barry rolled his eyes, "Cisco," he started._

" _Okay, so here's the deal. I heard Felicity who was telling Thea, who heard it from Diggle when he was talking to Oliver, who's actually -"_

" _Wait, I'm confused already. How do all these people that I just met, know about this?"_

" _As it turns out my dear oblivious friend, Ronnie Raymond who had the hots for our mutual friend Caitlin, is Oliver Queen's cousin,"_

 _Barry couldn't believe it. What were the chances? "Wow, small world, huh,"_

 _Cisco nodded, "But it was our lovable snitch Felicity who told everyone and their mothers, that finally, FINALLY, you two had gotten together. We all saw it coming," his two friends were just so dense. If only they could see themselves._

" _You got it wrong," he chuckled._

 _Cisco blinked in confusion._

" _Caitlin told Ronnie I was her boyfriend because she's too busy to be in a relationship right now," Ha! Joke's on them._

 _Cisco eyed him suspiciously, trying to figure out if Barry was lying to him, but it didn't seem to be the case. "So you're not dating?"_

" _No, of course not!"_

" _Okay," Cisco said nodding to himself, "so I guess it doesn't matter that Ronnie is here too…"_

" _What? Where?" Barry started to look wildly at the crowd, he needed to warn Caitlin about this._

 _Cisco snickered, his friend was so transparent. "I don't know, I just heard he would come,"_

 _He needed to tell Caitlin pronto and they needed a plan of action like yesterday. He was texting Caitlin furiously but before he could hit send he felt Cisco tap his shoulder, "Look over there,"_

 _Barry pulled his eyes up and held his breath, this was like their karaoke night all over again. Walking next to Felicity was a radiant Caitlin wearing a fitted midnight blue dress that wrapped around her shoulder with a silver statement piece. Her eyes were smiling mirthfully as she helped her only female friend Felicity walk down the stairs._

" _Pretty isn't she?"_

" _Beautiful," Barry said barely above a whisper, but then caught himself and cleared his throat, "wait. Don't tell Caitlin I said that," they weren't like that despite what everyone else believed._

 _Cisco grinned mischievously, "I was talking about Felicity, but sure,"_

 _Ah, great. Give Cisco more ammunition to tease him, "Yeah, so was I," he was starting to blush, dang it._

" _Suuuure,"_

 _Barry glared at him briefly and then headed to congratulate the bride and stick to Caitlin like glue. It was his duty as Caitlin's best friend to protect her honor. Who knew when this Ronnie guy would appear? Better to be safe than sorry._

 _If Caitlin noticed Glue-Stick-Barry she didn't say anything. In fact this was one of the greatest evenings of her life. She was having a lot of fun with her friend, she felt more comfortable with him than with all these strangers._

 _Meanwhile Felicity went to see Cisco, they had an important matter to discuss._

" _So...any progress?" She asked as she saw Barry and Caitlin attempting to dance, poor Barry his feet were getting a beating from Caitlin's heels._

" _Still as clueless as ever,"_

 _They simultaneously took a big gulp from their drinks and sighed. They had seen those two do this weird dance around each other but never take the leap._

" _You think we were wrong?" Felicity asked. She'd been witness to those secret glances, intimate smiles, and their overall concern for one another. Yet, those two still insisted on being great friends and nothing more._

 _Cisco smirked, "Look at_ _ **that**_ _and tell me we were wrong,"_

 _Felicity turned once again to the couple and saw Barry with the widest grin as he held Caitlin by the waist and the auburn haired girl laced her arms around his neck responding with an amazing grin of her own. Barry had given up on teaching her the dance and asked her to simply put her feet on top of his, he would lead. She complied without resistance, but took off her heels in an effort to avoid hurting him (more). They slowly swayed to the sound of the music and smiled away the rest of the night._

{x}

Some people can be so dense sometimes…Anyway! Sorry if you were waiting for the chapter this past Monday. I'm working on a big project for class and might be delayed on my updates for the next few weeks (but I'll try not to).

I don't know if this has happened to any of my fellow writers, but the last three days I got this sudden urge to write…the ending of this story. Interestingly enough, there are two chapters in the middle (as per my outline) that I haven't even begun writing. On the bright side, beware of the overload of sweetness at the end, because that's just how I roll.

With all of that being said, I send you all a big tropical smoothie (for those of us experiencing hot summers) and thank you for reading!

Many thanks to those of you that have favorited/followed this story, but an even bigger thanks and a bear hug to those that take the time to review: _**daydise, icekrim91, ShanouNash, Guest, TieDyeJackson, Nienke Whovian, Maya, jdcocoagirl, Amelia, Raquel, Awesomeness2502, Augusthippie1993, and Shadow9841.**_

 **Daydise:** You're so sweet! And yes this such a cheesy plot…I love my cheese, in writing and in real life lol. Thank you for your kind words, I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well.

 **Icekrim91:** Sometimes we need to let it all out and I think that Caitlin's backstory helps explain part of her personality. Ah Barry, isn't he so cute!? Thank you for reading!

 **ShanouNash** : The kisses are short and sweet but so full of meaning. I hope I didn't disappoint with the aftermath of their kiss. I just thought that their reaction fit their characterization so far. Slowly but surely they're getting closer to the realization that maybe the person you're meant to be with has been there all along.

Oh the first night! Hahahaha (cue evil laugh)…just wait until you read about that.

I love Nora, in a way I feel she's us in the story. And to me mothers ARE that clever…they know too much.

I never thought too much about where the greatest love stories come from, I'll have to research that. In my humble opinion, I really like Spanish for romance, it's a very descriptive language (and my native language as well).

Let me know your thoughts for this chapter…and Nora strikes again!

 **Guest:** I'd love to have a more personal way to address you : ) but thank you so much for your heart melting words. I'm ecstatic to see this is a favorite fanfic of yours!

 **TieDyeJackson:** A double wedding huh? Hmmm… who knows? I'm so happy that you enjoy the depth and layers of the story. Oh my! The words! I really tried to contain myself in this chapter and tried not to overdo it lol.

Aww thank you so much! You're awesome!

 **Nienke Whovian:** I'm glad you liked the last chapter, it was one of my personal favorites : ) I'm dreading the wedding, I don't think I've ever been to one…so I'm going by what the media portrays as weddings lol.

Thank you for reading!

 **Maya:** I promised and I delivered. There is more from Cait that we need to see (but more about that in the next chapter). Are you reading my story before I actually publish? Eddie will be a "guest star" of sorts for the next chapter.

 **Jdcocoagirl** : Love your profile pic! My favorite character from Yu Yu Hakusho is Kurama… Our Barry is not there yet, but he will be…soon.

Let me know your thoughts on this chapter : )

 **Amelia** : My dearest Amelia, we cannot hurry true love. I know this is a slow burn romance, but it will pay off, I promise.

Haha, how did you know? Of course Nora and Henry were onto Barry. Parents…gotta love'em.

Thank you for your supporting words! I'm glad you like this story it warms my heart.

 **Raquel:** Thank you so much for spending your time reading and leaving a review. Time is our most valuable resource, so whether it's a word, a sentence, or a paragraph, it doesn't matter girl. You do what you gotta do!

 **Awesomeness2502** : Phew, glad to hear your view on lame jokes –we're on the same page there.

I have so much to catch up on! And I see we share a love for Chlark too…are we FF soulmates?

Expect my reviews soon, I just need to get these projects out of the way and then I can have some time to read quality fan fiction. By the way, I am already jotting down my picks for superhero baby names ; )

Ugh, yes. I cannot reconcile seasons 3 & 4 Barry, with the sweetheart we got for seasons 1 & 2\. He's changed SO much, and many times for worse. But yes, Grant is the only likeable part about the Barry we are seeing nowadays.

 **Augusthippie1993** : Aww thank you! So happy you liked it!

 **Shadow9841** : That's what I love about reading that you can get so immersed in the words that you get transported another world. I'm just happy I can contribute to your experience. Oh yes, mother's intuition is amazing and completely real (I've confirmed it many times over the years).


	6. Chapter 6

_**.**_

 _ **.**_

 _ **.**_

 _ **Great Possibilities**_

D-2

Despite having a restful sleep, he woke up with a queasy stomach. He wasn't feeling too well today. He was so glad that his mom gave him the day off. Slowly he started to open his eyes adjusting to the sunlight. He turned slightly to the right and was met with familiar hazel eyes, who were studying him.

"Good mor—"

He felt Caitlin's cold hand on his forehead, "You have a fever,"

"I'm fine," he tried to smile.

"Are you feeling ill? Are you hurting anywhere?" She was on doctor-mode right now and quickly scanned him with her eyes.

Barry gently removed Caitlin's hand, "I'm fine, really," he didn't want to worry her any more than necessary, his queasiness would surely go away soon. "I'm hungry though," a queasy stomach didn't take away the hunger.

And at that moment his stomach made a grumbling noise in agreement.

"Hunger confirmed," Caitlin got up from the bed and headed for the door, "Your parents went to run some errands, so I'll make you breakfast,"

"What an honor," he teased, knowing full well that if the woman could avoid the kitchen she would.

She rolled her eyes at him, "I won't burn anything this time. Jeez, burn toast once and you can't do anything right anymore," she muttered at the end.

{-}

"Good morning," Eddie said lovingly as he kissed his future wife from behind.

Iris turned around and hugged the detective, "'Morning," it was an amazing feeling waking up next to the person you loved.

"So, what do you have planned for today? I'm at your service," he gave her a teasing smile.

"Oh, don't tempt me,"

He smirked and kissed her forehead, "Anything for you love,"

"You're so lucky everything is done, Nora, Barry, and Caitlin, were amazing these last few days," Iris kissed her fiancé one last time before getting out of the bed and heading for the bathroom to brush her teeth, she had this thing about morning breath.

Eddie ignored the excitement that laced Iris voice when she mentioned _Barry's_ name. He didn't hate the guy, he really didn't. But he didn't like him all that much either. When he met Iris in New York, Barry was all she would talk about. A lot had to do with the fact that he was her first boyfriend and they had a long history of friendship before they became a couple. Boy was Eddie familiar with the gory details. Even then he knew, real fast, that the beautiful journalist was the woman for him. She had strength, wit, and beauty to a fault and she looked at him like he was her world. Now all he wanted was to finally tie the knot with _the one_ and live his happily ever after with the one and only Iris West –future Mrs. Iris West-Thawne.

What he hadn't counted on was Iris' particular twinkle when she was with Barry. He saw something in her eyes the other night when the two were dancing and couldn't quite define what it was. Was it reciprocal? He certainly hoped it wasn't. Besides the CSI already had a woman that looked at him as if he was _her_ world.

"What do you say we go out for breakfast and take the day off?"

Iris' voice pulled him away from his thoughts. "That sounds like a plan," he didn't have time to worry right now. His main concern was to make the woman in front of him happy.

{-}

"Barry are you sure you're okay?" Caitlin asked with skepticism.

Barry rolled his eyes again, "I told you I'm _fine_. Stop worrying about me Cait,"

"You don't look like yourself,"

"I know you're a doctor, but not all of us are your patients," he teased. "Touch my forehead and confirm that I don't have a fever anymore Dr. Snow,"

The young doctor narrowed her eyes at her friend, "Okay," she got closer and placed her palm on his forehead. His fever wasn't gone, but it wasn't as strong as it had been earlier when they woke up. However, that didn't ease her worry, her doctor senses were tingling.

"See, what did I tell you," his voice softened and that familiar pull between them began.

"I still do—" but before she was able to get lost in his emerald eyes a voice from behind called them.

"Hey!" A familiar voice came from the front entrance. It was Iris with her perfect smile and a mildly annoyed Eddie behind her. "I hope we're not interrupting anything,"

Caitlin and Barry took a step away from each other.

"Eddie and I were wondering if you wanted to join us on a double date," she asked with bright eyes.

Barry looked at Caitlin and she gave him the smallest nod. "Sure Iris, we'd love to," he responded with a patented Allen grin.

The doctor had seen Eddie's mildly annoyed face, as if the last thing he wanted to do was to share his girlfriend and future wife on his day off. She could understand why Eddie felt the way he did, but her loyalties were to Barry and whatever made _him_ happy.

Eddie suppressed the need to roll his eyes as everyone began to get into his truck. Why did Iris have this bright idea of a double date _now_? He would be the happiest man if they'd just hung out at home, but it was not to be. While Iris sat next to him and talked excitedly about her plans for the day he briefly glanced at the rear-view mirror to see Barry be almost as enthusiastic as Iris, but what surprised him were a pair of hazel eyes looking at him with an undecipherable face. It was as if the doctor wanted to tell him something.

Lucky for him it wouldn't take long to know exactly what Dr. Snow wanted to tell him.

{-}

"Okay, by popular vote we will be going to Central City's Extravaganza!"

The Extravaganza was a fair of sorts where business owners would put up games and contests for the community. It was meant to serve as a fundraiser for various charities and it was one of the best forms of entertainment for everyone in the city.

"Let's hope it's fun," Eddie said with a grin. He wasn't from Central City so this would be a new experience for the detective.

"Oh it is!" Barry said, "There's a bunch of games, challenges, and contests," then he turned to Caitlin, "no food contests for you _please_ ," he teased.

A few years ago, when Caitlin came to the fair, Cisco had challenged her to participate in a hot dog eating contest, she took the bait, won the challenge, and then had the great idea of getting on a rollercoaster. That was a sad day for Barry's sneakers...they didn't make it.

"Scout's honor," she said as she drew an X across her heart.

"Sounds like a story I would want to hear," the journalist said with curiosity.

Caitlin shook her head, "Believe me it's not as exciting,"

"Yeah, let's not relive that memory," Barry still mourned his favorite red sneakers.

"Well I'm ready to explore this place," Eddie took Iris' hand as they walked ahead leaving behind the fake couple.

Barry looked on and didn't want to be outdone so he did the same and took Caitlin's hand, he could be sweet too.

"What are you doing?" Caitlin asked him. She wasn't opposed to handholding, but it wasn't too comfortable for her to look around, and it wasn't something she and Barry did often.

"We gotta play the part," Barry winked at her. He still hadn't been feeling too well, there was nausea here and there and at times he would get a little dizzy, but he wouldn't let go of any opportunities to be close to Iris.

"Okay," Caitlin could do that. She laced their fingers together. She had seen that in too many movies and now felt appropriate. They were playing a part after all.

Barry briefly glanced at her, and felt a light warmth spread on his cheeks, this was far more intimate than simple hand holding in his opinion, but it didn't feel unnatural, quite the opposite actually. Things with Cait had always been easy and natural. She never made him feel like he had to be more to impress her, he was just Barry Allen and to her that was enough. With a last smile in her direction he closed his fingers and encased her slender hand.

When they finally caught up to Eddie and Iris, Caitlin noted that Eddie was now seated in front of a game. The journalist pulled Barry away and placed him next to Eddie for their first match. Iris had this amazing idea of having the two compete for fun, she was hyper competitive, and Eddie wasn't far behind.

"Okay Eddie," Iris said with determination, "I expect you to win this game," she had full faith in her fiancé on this one, it was a shooting game where they shot moving characters and the person that shot the most down won the price.

"So do I," Caitlin said.

Both Iris and Eddie failed at hiding their chuckle, but they tried.

"Caitlin! You're supposed to be on my side," Barry whined, he was not a happy camper right now.

"Oh," the doctor was very objective when it came to these matters, "but you're not that good at shooting games Barry," she'd seen him play first shooter games many times before, and she would always beat him.

"It doesn't matter," he said through gritted teeth. Wasn't there some unspoken rule that girlfriends needed to support their boyfriends every time, no matter what the circumstances were? Even if they were pretending right now, the point was that they were technically a couple.

Caitlin sighed internally, and this was why she would be a terrible girlfriend to anyone. "Okay, I'm rooting for you Barry, don't make me regret it," she gave him a _thumbs up_ in support.

Barry just rolled his eyes and focused on the moving targets.

As predicted Barry lost to Eddie's flawless shooting skills.

 _I knew it,_ Caitlin thought to herself.

"Woohoo!" Iris high fived her man, "Point to West-Thawne!"

Eddie grinned, "And that is how it's done. Better luck next time Barry," he said as he patted the other man's shoulder condescendingly.

Barry frowned. The detective was lucky he wasn't feeling well, he could've totally won that game with his eyes closed.

"It's okay," Caitlin said reassuringly.

"Better luck next time fella," the man handling the game said with a chuckle, "at least take this for your lady," he gave him a small keychain in the form of a snowflake.

"Thanks," Barry mumbled. Not long after he felt Caitlin pat his back.

"It's alright, there are many more games to play,"

"I guess," he said to himself. "Here," he took her hand and carefully deposited the keychain he had won, "it's nothing big like Iris' big stuffed -"

"I love it," Caitlin said and immediately put it on her apartment keys. "Thank you,"

"Oh, okay, you're welcome," he didn't think she would like it that much, but the fact that she did made him smile.

The next game was much more to Barry's liking. You had to use a water gun to shoot water to a hole a few feet away. Whoever made their character make it to the top first would win.

"This is it Barry, time to redeem yourself," Caitlin was very competitive despite her calm and reserved nature. She started massaging his shoulders, just as coaches would to their fighters. It was her way of supporting her champion.

The CSI resisted the urge to gulp, he couldn't fail her now. "Okay,"

Meanwhile Iris gave Eddie a quick peck on the lips, "Let's make it two for two,"

This time it was Barry's win. As soon as his emoji made it to the top the lights and music went off announcing him the winner.

"Yeah! One point for team Snow-Barry!" He cheered and shared a hug with his best friend on this victory.

"Lucky shot," Eddie muttered under his breath.

"Snow...Barry?" Iris questioned. "Why not Snow-Allen?"

Barry and Caitlin looked at each other and shrugged, "We thought Snowbarry sounded cuter," the doctor answered. That's the team name they came up with whenever they took Cisco on during their video game time.

"Oh-kay,"

The next game was a wild card for both men. It was a ring toss game and they had to get 5 tiny rings into 5 necks of the glass bottles. Sadly, none of them were skilled enough for the challenge and out of 150 rings tossed none of them made it in.

"That game is rigged," Eddie glared at it.

"Ditto," Barry nodded emphatically. There was no way he was _that_ bad at it.

"Why don't you and I try it Caitlin?" Iris suggested.

She eyed Barry from her periphery, he was still sulking because of his loss, "Sure, why not,"

"Winner takes all," Iris' competitive spirit was starting to make its appearance.

Caitlin raised a skeptical eyebrow, "I don't recall betting anything?"

"What are we talking about here, Iris?" Barry asked intrigued.

"The winning team gets to choose the next game is all," the journalist already had in mind which game she would have everyone go in next. One that was _not_ a fan favorite.

"That's not so bad," Barry told Caitlin, "you can do this I trust you,"

One look into his eyes and she knew she would comply, "Alright,"

Eddie looked ahead with fire in his eyes, they had to win this! The prize didn't matter, it was all about winning.

Ready. Set. Go!

Iris was throwing rings a mile a minute she knew that eventually she would land them in.

Caitlin had yet to make a move. She was much more analytical and was calculating the best trajectory for her rings.

Eddie thrusted his fist in the air after Iris made two rings land correctly on the bottles and Barry began to get nervous. He'd never seen Caitlin play this game before, but her lack of movements was unnerving.

"Any time today Cait," he urged after the third enemy ring went in.

"Patience young Padawan," she said in a Cisco-esque fashion.

"Come on babe you almost have them," Eddie encouraged his fiancé.

After another twenty rings, the fourth one went in and Iris smirked in anticipation.

Barry could almost smell the defeat.

.

.

.

"We have a winner!" the woman at the booth said. "That was pretty impressive young lady,"

"Thank you," the doctor said with a small nod. Caitlin had managed to toss the rings in a manner that each one fell successfully on a bottle. She only needed five rings to win the game.

Eddie, Iris, and Barry gawked at her in disbelief.

"You can choose anything from the third row,"

"Is there something you like Barry?" she turned to her fake fiancé waiting for his reply.

"No...no, you can choose," Wow, that'll teach him to never underestimate her again.

"Okay," Caitlin eyed all the goodies and settled on a gigantic Superman plushie, once the lady handed her the prize she quickly turned to Barry and handed it to him.

Barry opened his eyes in surprise and extreme gratefulness, "Thanks Cait you're the best!" This was perfect for his Superman collection. She never ceased to amaze him, he grinned happily at the doctor and she responded in kind.

"Wow, I didn't know you were that good," Iris said, still recovering from her earlier shock.

"Yeah Caitlin, that was amazing," it was not easy for Eddie to be impressed, this was a rare occasion.

"It's not that hard," she said as a matter of fact, "you just need to calculate the trajectory of the ring, taking into consideration wind speed, the mass of the rings, the distance of the bottles and-"

"Uh, Cait, you're sounding a lot like Cisco right now," not that it was a bad thing, but Eddie and Iris were starting to get that glazed look.

"Yeah, well, maybe next time you can teach us," Iris got lost since the word _trajectory_ , "so what do you want to do now?"

Caitlin pointed to a new game at the Extravaganza, it was a maze paired with a treasure hunt.

"That's a new game this year and I'd love to try it,"

"Great!" Iris had in mind the House of Horrors to torture the boys (who she knew were big scared-y cats), but this would be just as fun.

"However, I'd like to…" she looked at Barry briefly and then back at Iris, "have Eddie as my partner, if you don't mind,"

Iris opened her eyes wide surprised at the suggestion, "I don't really mind but...is there a particular reason why?"

Eddie didn't nearly get along with the doctor to begin with. He'd barely met her two days ago!

Barry didn't really like the idea. Why would Caitlin prefer to go with Eddie than with him? That really made his stomach churn. Wait a minute...unless she was trying to set him up with Iris again?

"No particular reason, I'd just like to see how the skills of a detective and a doctor would work on this game," she really couldn't tell her that she was creating an opportunity for her and Barry to talk.

Iris was still a little skeptical, "Research purposes. Okay. You don't mind, right Eddie?" she turned to her fiancé with her big brown eyes.

"No, not at all," what else could he say?

"Okay then it's settled. I'll go with Barry, and you'll go with Eddie," she dragged the CSI with her. Now that she thought about it, it wasn't such a bad idea. She could finally spend some quality time with her friend. No wedding arrangements or significant others involved.

"Ready detective?" Caitlin called a few steps away.

"Ready Dr. Snow,"

{-}

It had been fifteen minutes since Iris and Barry stepped into the maze and they were already lost.

"I told you it's this way Bar," Iris pointed to the left.

"No, it's this way Iris," Barry pointed to the right.

"Can we just try my way first?"

"Okay," there was no use arguing with her at times.

They started walking and somehow their hands brushed but neither pulled back and they just kept walking. The second time it happened Iris took the opportunity to hold onto his pinky and Barry hid a smile.

After another five minutes they went back to their starting point.

"What did I tell you?" Barry bragged.

Iris just rolled her eyes, "I guess you were right,"

"Exactly, so let's go to the right," he took the opportunity to fully take her hand and begin their journey in the _right_ direction.

Barry walked ahead with determination not fully aware of what he had done. He was focused on getting out of this maze and show Caitlin he would've been the better choice.

Meanwhile Iris suppressed the urge to blush. Holding hands was something that friends could do, right? There was nothing wrong, it was an innocent gesture.

Then way was her heart contrived?

"Alright, we found the first item," it was a kaleidoscope.

She was so lost in thought that she didn't realize when he had stopped holding her hand to get

the item.

"One down, nine more to go," he said with a childlike grin.

Iris nodded but her mind was a thousand miles away. Was she getting cold feet? Why was her heart so confused? She didn't question her love for Eddie, how could she? He was the man for her, but then why did she miss Barry's warmth sometimes?

"Come on Iris, we need to win this,"

Iris ran to his side and took his hand once more. She wanted to stay like that a little longer.

{-}

They were ten minutes in and Caitlin and Eddie had already found three items on the list.

"I'm still not sure why you would choose me over your boyfriend," Eddie said as he eyed other couples in the challenge who were clearly involved romantically.

"We haven't really had a chance to talk and I wanted to know you better," she said as she focused intently on the map of the maze.

"Oh," Why would she want to know him better?

As if reading his thoughts, the doctor continued, "Barry and Iris have been friends for a long time and we will probably be involved in each other's' lives,"

Okay, that made a little more sense. Talking about Barry and Iris, reminded him of something, "Hey Caitlin,"

The woman stopped her search and turned to him, "Yes?"

"I don't want to be out of line, but I wanted to ask you something,"

"Go ahead,"

"Do you not feel _weird_ when Iris and Barry are together?" There was no easy way of getting that out, he really didn't want to be the only paranoid person out there.

"You mean jealous?" She looked right at him.

No point on denying it now, "Well, yeah,"

"Do you?" She asked with a small tilt of her head.

"No, no, of course not!" He waved his hands in front of her in denial.

"I know they share a long history together and they are very important for each other," Caitlin said, which was absolutely true.

"I know, I know. They've been friends since they were kids," he let out a frustrated sigh, "and they were together for five years, and it's been eight years since, but lately I just feel…"

"What do you feel?" She inquired.

"What if they are just settling? What if they want to be together but they settled for us?" This was so out of character for him. He was nothing like this. He was assertive, confident, and strong. He didn't doubt Iris's love for him, he could tell that she loved him very much. Yet sometimes her eyes would linger on the CSI a little too long, or when she talked about him there was this joy that was apparent in her voice, and how Barry looked at her too sometimes…

Caitlin read his face as if he was an open book. It was now or never, "If Iris told you right now that she loved Barry and couldn't marry you, what would you do?"

Eddie blinked at her surprised, "I...I would let her go," there was no hesitation in his voice, just a tad of surprise at her sudden question. It would be painful, but he would do it, no doubt.

The doctor gave him a warm smile and Eddie was momentarily stunned. He finally understood what made the doctor so charming to the CSI. She was a woman wise beyond her years and carried herself with maturity and innocence. Her expression made him feel as if she truly understood him and what he was feeling right now. Her empathy was limitless.

"And you?" He turned the question around, "If Barry told you right now that he wanted to be with Iris?"

"I would do the same," she said with certainty and if he didn't know any better there was a bit of melancholy there.

Eddie gave her a half smile. She loved the man with as much intensity as he loved his favorite journalist.

Caitlin worried for the detective, he didn't deserve this, he deserved his happy ending with the woman he loved. She slowly stepped towards the detective and placed one supporting hand on his shoulder, "For the record," she gave him a light squeeze, "I don't think they settled. If Iris said yes to your proposal it's because she loves you more than she can express," Eddie looked at her intently, "trust her."

He nodded slowly. As he looked into her warm and caring hazel eyes, his worries went away.

{-}

They were only missing one item now.

"This brings back old memories, huh?" Barry said fondly as he remembered his adventures with Iris when they were kids. Despite not feeling his best, it was great having this time with a good friend.

"Yeah," they had so much fun and did almost everything together when they were little.

"Remember that one time I got stuck in a gate?" They were playing hide and seek when they were ten and Barry's foot got stuck in a gate.

Iris laughed, "Yes, I remember you pulled your foot so much that ended up pulling your shoe off,"

Barry chuckled. This turned out to be a great experience after all. He hadn't had this type of conversation with Iris in a long, long time. "Remember that time that I asked you out?"

"Oh my goodness yes! You stuttered for a whole ten minutes,"

He was very shy back then and Iris had become so popular when they were high school that he wasn't even sure she would want to hang out with him anymore.

"That was so embarrassing,"

"It was cute," Iris said with a big grin. Those days were so easygoing. "Remember our first kiss?" She said with a hint of longing.

Barry started to laugh, "We were both wearing braces at the time and got stuck!" it wasn't funny back then, but now…

"Ugh, I know! _That_ was embarrassing," They were fifteen and had gone to their first high school dance together. The whole school never let them forget that incident for the rest of the year.

"Those were good times," Barry said with a nostalgic smile. Those were great memories for him.

Iris looked at him with that twinkle in her eyes, "They were,"

They stared at each other for a while, not sure what to say next. Until they heard someone behind them say…

"Now that's what I call a power couple," one teen said with a sigh.

"They just look so cute together!" Exclaimed another.

Barry followed their line of sight and immediately wanted to throw up.

"Is that Eddie and Caitlin over there?" Iris asked in surprise and something very similar to jealousy.

Just a couple of feet away were Eddie and Caitlin grinning at one another and sharing a side hug. While one of the facilitators of the game took a picture of the champions.

Barry knitted his eyebrows together, no more than an hour ago those two barely spoke to each other and now they were besties? No way. _He_ was Caitlin's best friend. Actually, for all intents and purposes he was Caitlin's _fiancé_ right now. Eddie had no business holding Caitlin that closely.

Iris and Barry walked ahead towards the so-called _power couple_ with frowning faces.

"I guess a detective and a doctor do work well together," Eddie said with a perfect grin.

Caitlin nodded, "Now we know,"

"Caitlin," Barry called from a few feet away and was coming closer, "what's going on that you two are so chummy with each other?" he said with a wide -fake- grin.

"Yeah, just before we left you, you guys barely spoke to each other," Iris said with a big -fake- smile of her own, her left eyebrow twitched as well.

Eddie and Caitlin shared a look and slowly went to their respective fiancés, "We were celebrating our victory,"

"Yes, we found everything about fifteen minutes ago," Caitlin said with a hint of pride.

Barry resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Why was he so bothered by Caitlin spending time with Eddie? If anything, this gave him the chance to spend time with Iris. No, no, he wasn't bothered. He was grateful to Caitlin, she was doing well in distracting Eddie. It was all Eddie's fault for hugging her close and smiling at her with his perfect prince charming smile. Yeah, he was upset at Eddie for being so darn perfect. Yeah, that's right. Caitlin had nothing to do with it. She didn't. She was the innocent party here.

"Barry, are you okay?" Caitlin asked with a concerned look. The CSI was starting to get pale.

"Bar, you're not looking so good right now?" Actually, he hadn't been looking terrific all day, but she didn't think it was that bad.

"I'm fi—"

Eddie took two steps back and pulled Iris with him. Caitlin stood in place and just closed her eyes slowly, she should've listened to her gut earlier.

Barry threw up next to the doctor.

"I guess this is payback for that time I threw up on you," she said softly.

If he wasn't holding on to her for dear life, he would have died of embarrassment just about now.

"We should take him to the hospital," Iris urged.

"I'll get the truck ready," Eddie turned around almost ready to sprint away.

"Wa...wait," Barry called with difficulty. He wanted to be left alone, this was turning out to be a horrible day. He was embarrassed and felt nauseous. He shouldn't have pushed himself the whole day.

Caitlin gave Barry a sympathetic look, she knew him so well. "I'll take care of him. You guys go enjoy yourselves," she called one of the helpers for the maze and they came with supplies to clean up the area.

"We don't mind going with you," Iris said quickly.

Caitlin shook her head. She had to defend Barry's honor, "It's okay, in my opinion, this is a stomach virus," she cleaned herself as best as she could and gratefully took the sandals the helper brought her. The doctor used one clean cloth to help clean Barry. "It's not as severe as it looks, so don't worry. I'll make sure he gets a good rest at home and is ready for tomorrow. Fortunately, these viruses tend to last twenty-four hours, with proper care,"

"Okay," Iris said with concern. She was very worried for Barry, he had held it in so well, that had he not thrown up right now she would've been none the wiser to his condition.

Caitlin was supporting Barry as they walked away towards a taxi that the Extravaganza staff had called in for them. Poor Barry, it broke her heart seeing him ill. He shouldn't have pushed himself this much. _She_ shouldn't have let him.

"I guess, this is the part where you say 'I told you so,'" he said with a self-deprecating chuckle. The universe was probably against him, because Caitlin was always there to witness the worst moments of his life.

"Of course not," she said calmly.

They carefully entered the taxi and gave the driver instructions before relaxing in the back. Well Barry relaxed. Caitlin on the other hand started checking his pulse and temperature. She was mildly upset at herself for leaving her stethoscope at home.

"Your fever is coming back," she said with concern.

Barry tried to give her a reassuring smile, "I'll be fine,"

Caitlin raised a skeptical eyebrow, that's what he had said before.

"With proper care from my lovable doctor," he added with a boyish smile and took advantage of the situation to rest his head on her lap.

Caitlin briefly tensed up but took a deep breath and realized she didn't have to. Barry and her were friends, and science soulmates. Besides, her main concern now was to restore him back to full health. She looked down and saw him rest peacefully on her lap. They had about twenty minutes of travel time left so she decided to let him rest. In the meantime, she would entertain herself by patting him soothingly.

The taxi driver would occasionally glance at his rearview mirror and smile to himself.

 _The beauty of young love..._

{-}

Once they arrived home, Caitlin immediately walked Barry to their room. His parents weren't home yet, and both were glad for that –they didn't want to worry them any more than necessary.

"Sorry," Barry mumbled.

Caitlin smiled fondly, "Why? It could happen to anyone," she stepped closer to him and slowly started to unbutton his shirt.

Barry became very self-aware despite his weakened state and held her hand weakly in an attempt to stop her. She looked up at him slightly confused, "Is there something wrong?" She wondered if he was feeling ill anywhere else.

He stared directly into her hazel eyes not really sure what to say next. Why should he be self-aware? This was Caitlin, his best friend. The woman that he trusted with his life. The woman that's taken care of him since the moment they met. The most caring and wonderful woman was in front of him, there was no reason for him to feel uncomfortable around her. None at all, because she was the woman he trusted most and her nonjudgmental, yet deeply caring eyes were everything to him.

He slowly released her hand and gave her a pitiful excuse of a smile.

"Thanks,"

Caitlin also stared back and momentarily got lost in his deep green eyes. This wasn't the first time that she looked at him and wished to tell him more, but she didn't know what to say to him. All she knew was that Barry is, was, and will forever be someone very special to her. He was the most charming, gentlemanly, caring, and funny man she'd ever met. And she was very fortunate to have him as her friend. When she thought she was alone, it was Barry that was by her side. "Any time," and in times like this, it was her turn to be beside him and become his strength. She continued unbuttoning his shirt and slowly slid it off of him. "Here let's put this one on," she brought him a loose Superman shirt and he happily complied with her request.

"Cait," he said softly as he pulled his shirt.

"Yes Barry?" she held in a smile at how cute he looked with his hair ruffled.

"Sorry about your shoes,"

She chuckled a little, "They're just shoes,"

"Still. It was kinda gross, wasn't it?" he asked with a pink tint to his cheeks. He knew that it wasn't from his fever, but rather his embarrassment.

Oh, so that's what was worrying him. She took a seat next to him by the bed, "Barry, it's okay. No big deal," she said with a warm smile. "I'm a doctor, I see all kinds of things,"

"But it's different. We _know_ each other," she could see all she wanted at the ER, but it was different when it was people you knew -it was worse.

She took his hand and caressed it softly, "Last time I did the same to you,"

"Yeah but-"

"Actually, you did say it was gross," now that she thought about it, he yelled a big fat _EW!_ When she threw up on him that one time. "Just see it as another memory in our long friendship," she shrugged.

"I guess we're really even now, huh?"

Caitlin nodded, "That's right," she stood up and give him a small peck on his forehead. "Now finish getting changed and I'll be back with _my_ Special Caitlin blend," she handed him a pair of pajama pants and stepped outside towards the kitchen.

In the meantime, Barry changed and laid on his bed. The day hadn't ended like he expected, but it was a great day nonetheless. He had a great time at the Extravaganza. He had spent time with Iris, where he could finally just be himself with no hidden agenda, no need to pretend and everything was fine in the world. Well mostly everything, he was still having a hard time adjusting to Caitlin and Eddie's budding friendship…

His thoughts were interrupted as Caitlin walked in with a tray full of crackers, Pepto, and her Special Caitlin blend. He smiled to himself as the woman with the most beautiful hazel eyes started to give him instructions on how to take care of this virus and the need for him to take every single item she brought him. He only nodded when appropriate and kept staring at her, admiring her eloquence, intelligence, but more than anything else the way she would look at him. Throughout her whole explanation and since the moment he held onto her earlier, she looked at him with a worried face, yes, but more importantly she looked at him as if he was the most precious thing she had in the world and she needed to protect him.

"What is it?" she asked, as Barry kept staring at her even after her she was done talking.

Barry shook his head softly, "Nothing,"

"If you need anything, just let me know," she encouraged him.

"Well…"

"Go on, you can ask for anything,"

"No, it's nothing," he wasn't even sure what he wanted to ask or how to even formulate the question. He got up and attempted to walk towards the restroom but got dizzy and almost tumbled back on the bed. Thankfully, Caitlin was quickly by his side and held him up.

"You could've told me you needed help," she said with a smile.

She helped him for only a few steps, but that still warmed Barry's heart, "That wasn't really what I wanted to ask you," he said as he went inside the restroom to wash his face and brush his teeth.

His words left Caitlin wondering what exactly he wanted from her. In the meantime, she left to change into more comfortable clothing.

When she came back, Barry had already taken everything as she had instructed and was brushing his teeth for the third time. He felt like he couldn't get rid of the smell fast enough. He was even tempted to take a shower right now, but Caitlin advised him to do that first thing in the morning tomorrow –doctor's orders.

"You'll be as good as new tomorrow, I promise," she reassured him.

Barry smiled and nodded, "Thank you," he looked at her and his smile grew wider, "I love your shirt,"

Caitlin looked down at herself, "I love it too. My best friend gave it to me," Barry had given her that shirt for their first superhero movie marathon.

"Great guy, I'm sure," he said casually.

"The best," she grinned.

They smiled at each other for a few seconds and then Caitlin remembered.

"What did you want to ask me earlier?" The curiosity was killing her.

Barry looked away and started to fiddle with the bed sheets, "Nothing really. It's silly," he wasn't even sure why he thought about that in the first place.

"Nothing you tell me could ever be silly Barry," she sat next him.

"It's just…"

"Barry," Caitlin used her serious tone on him.

Barry looked up and gazed at her intently. His request was childish and silly. Surely, no grown man would even ask for that. Really, it was dumb...but as he looked at her and saw those unquestioning and trusting hazel eyes. He couldn't find a reason not to be himself around her. As per usual, he didn't feel like he had to be a different man for her. He didn't have to keep up appearances, he didn't have to follow expected behaviors, he could just be Barry Allen. And right now what he wanted was:

"Could you hold my hand until I fall asleep?" he said not missing a beat, with no hint of embarrassment or hesitation.

Caitlin blinked twice and then her face melted into a warm grin. "Absolutely,"

They settled into the bed and because Barry was already warm they didn't really bother with the covers. Both were glad for the lights being turned off. On the one hand, Barry could always say that he looked flushed because of his fever. On the other, Caitlin didn't have the same excuse, her cheeks were warm for an entirely different reason.

"You know Barry," Caitlin said in the darkness.

"Hm?"

"You didn't even have to ask," she gave his hand a little squeeze.

{-}

Henry and Nora were running errands for the parties tomorrow, but also made time for a little date and a nice dinner. When they walked inside the house it was late, and everything was dark. For a minute they thought no one was home, but then Henry noticed the guest room door was slightly ajar.

Nora gave Henry a mischievous look and they both started to tip toe towards the room. When they opened the door fully. Henry and Nora smiled at each other.

"Aren't they adorable?" Nora whispered to her husband.

Henry nodded, "They are," he couldn't be happier for his son.

Barry was laying in bed with fluffy hair, a slightly flushed face, and his favorite Superman shirt. Next to him was Caitlin, with messy auburn curls, and an oversized shirt with the Superman crest on it. They were holding each other's hands and breathing in sync, softly and peacefully.

Since they slept over the covers, Nora left the room to get them a blanket and Henry helped cover them both.

"Sweet dreams," Nora whispered before walking out of the room with _her_ lovable doctor behind her.

"You think they've realized it yet?" Henry asked as he walked with his wife towards their room.

Nora sighed, "Not yet, but they will...eventually,"

Matters of the heart were all about timing.

{-}

 _ **Through the Looking Glass**_

 _She'd seen him before around campus but didn't think much of it. In fact, she would often see him by the dorms, so she assumed that he either lived in the dorm building next to hers (which was for men) or he knew someone that lived at the dorms. He was talking to a girl she didn't recognize. Perhaps his girlfriend? Well it wasn't any of her business, all she wanted was to go to her room enjoy some junk food and watch some movies to celebrate the semester being over._

 _Caitlin started to fish for her keys and was ready to walk away until..._

" _It's not you Bar._ _ **I'm**_ _the one that wants to go to New York and live my dreams,"_

" _But Iris, I thought -"_

" _I have to go. My flight is about to leave and I won't make it if I don't leave now. Let's stay in touch, okay?"_

 _Caitlin was only able to see the back of the girl in front of him and she walked away without looking back. The guy hung his head low and walked towards a bench nearby letting out a deep sigh. She looked a little longer, not sure why she even cared. People broke up with each other all the time, this wasn't the end of the world. She should just walk around the big oak tree and avoid him. Surely, he would want to be left alone._

 _That's exactly what she would do. Just walk away and to her dorm. Yep. Easy._

 _Her eyes went to him one last time and her decision was made._

 _She adjusted her thick glasses and walked towards him, taking a seat next to him without saying a word. She noticed he glanced at her and practically sent a glare in her direction but said nothing. She took the initiative of pulling something out of her plastic bag, just coming back from the grocery store came in handy. She finally found what she was looking for and handed him a bag of chips. They say comfort food was helpful when you were having a bad day, so she truly hoped this would help. She saw him hesitate before taking the bag while eyeing her with suspicious eyes._

 _Since he took the bag, she hoped he didn't see her as a threat. He probably needed to let it all out, maybe once he talked about it, he would feel a lot better._

" _Women suck," she heard him say, and she couldn't really disagree, some women were pretty mean. She slowly nodded and pulled out a bag of chips for herself. It seemed that he was getting ready to talk and it might take some time._

 _The guy next to her got a handful of chips in his mouth, "I mean, we had our whole lives ahead of us, and she leaves me,"_

 _His last words were a little high pitched and she wondered if maybe he would...well, she was prepared anyway. She pulled out a tissue box, opened it, and handed it to him. He would need it soon._

 _He opened his eyes in surprise and let out a high pitched... "What!? It's not like I'm going to cry over a girl, am I right?"_

 _She knew better._

" _She can do whatever she wants! So will I!" He yelled almost at the top of his lungs._

 _Poor guy, he must've loved her that much. She continued eating some chips and eyed him from her periphery. He wasn't going to last long._

" _I mean…" she heard his voice started to break, "It's not like she's the only girl out there,"_

 _Any second now._

" _Okay, yeah, sure she was my first girlfriend and I had this life plan for us, but come on!"_

 _By the end he was already sobbing. She resisted the urge to pat him, he looked like a wounded puppy, poor guy. The stranger continued to cry and cry, he would complain about Iris (the girl that dumped him), life (why was it so difficult for him?) and proclaimed to hate all the women (with his mother being a big exception). Although, she found him a little dramatic, she couldn't help but feel really bad for him. He seemed like a really nice guy._

 _Caitlin nodded slowly as she listened to him. He needed a shoulder to cry on and she wanted to be that support for him. She knew from first hand experience how lonely it was to cry without anyone to support you through the difficult times._

 _After a while the crying stopped._

" _Thanks man, I needed that,"_

 _Perfect. He felt better. Her job was done._

 _One last courtesy nod and she was ready to leave. She got up and was about to take her first step until she felt him pull at her hands and she ended up dropping her bags. That hadn't been nice. She saw him bend down to pick up something._

 _Her feminine pads of all things._

" _You...you're...a girl!"_

 _She picked up the rest of her things and took the pads from his hands, "I never said that I wasn't," did she really look like a guy? Well she was wearing very loose clothing and her hair was covered, but she didn't think she looked_ _ **that**_ _masculine. Maybe nowadays it was harder to tell the difference?_

" _You didn't say anything!" He said flustered._

 _That was true. Then again, she didn't think she needed to do the talking here. "I figured you were the one that needed to talk," she said sincerely. At the end of the day it had been him who got his heart broken. She was only walking back to her dorm._

 _His face was getting redder by the second and her instincts kicked in. She raised her hand to his forehead and then his cheek._

" _You're really warm,"_

 _He was stunned by her action and didn't know what to do so he only kept looking at her._

" _Here," she gave him a cold drink she'd bought earlier. It wasn't as cold as before, but it would help for now. "It's okay to have someone to lean on sometimes,"_

 _He took the drink and pressed it to his cheek._

 _Caitlin began walking towards the dorm now that everything had been said. She was a few feet away until she felt the guy make his way next to her._

" _Thank you," he said._

 _She shrugged, "No big deal, the drink was only a dollar,"_

 _He shook his head and smiled, "No. I mean, thank you for what you did back there,"_

" _Oh," she really hadn't done anything._

" _Here, let me help," even though the bags weren't heavy he took one from her hand and looked ahead at the dorms, "I'm guessing you live there," he pointed at the A-Tower._

 _She nodded._

" _I live in the B-Tower, small world, huh?"_

 _She supposed he was right. "It is,"_

 _They started walking side by side towards her building. She eyed him briefly and determined she was right about him, he was a nice person._

" _My name is Barry, by the way," he said as they stopped in front of her building entrance._

" _I'm Caitlin," she extended her hand to him._

 _Who knew? Maybe they would see each other around._

 _{-}_

 _Would it be right to say hi to him? He was at the park again today, but didn't look as bad as yesterday. Maybe she should leave him alone, he looked busy jogging anyway. Instead, she dug her headphones from her bag and put them on, listening to music was a great way to start the day. She walked a few steps and was busy looking at her phone for the right song._

 _Sadly, her efforts were interrupted._

" _I'm so sorry!" A flustered Barry had bumped into her and she dropped her phone and bag in the process. "I wasn't paying attention, I was just dozing off, and…" he continued his apology and helped her pick her things._

" _It's okay Barry," she said as she dusted off her bag._

" _You know me?" he said a little surprised._

 _She raised an eyebrow at him, "Yes. I met you yesterday,"_

" _Caitlin?" he said a little unsure._

" _Well, of course," who else would she be?_

 _He squinted his eyes, "Oh, you look different,"_

 _Ah, that made sense. Yesterday she was ready to go to bed. Today she was wearing comfortable jeans and a CCU T-shirt, not her oversized get up. In Felicity's words, she actually looked decent._

" _Your hair...it's long,"_

 _There was that too. Last night she had all her hair hidden under her beanie. Okay, but why was he still standing there? For some strange reason he wasn't going away…_

" _I was heading to the library," she said after an awkward silence._

" _That's cool! Libraries are great," he said, though she noted that he cringed a little at the end._

 _Her next words were very out of character for her, but she sensed that maybe Barry didn't want to be alone._

" _Do you want to come?" she tried. Yes the semester was over, but she had nowhere else to be and she enjoyed reading and learning, maybe Barry did too?_

 _His eyes shined at her question._

" _Yes!" He told her with a wide grin. Caitlin thought that was a good look on him._

 _He probably liked the library just as much as she did._

" _Wait. It might not be a good idea to go like this," he motioned at his running get up. "I probably stink right now,"_

 _She stepped closer to him and got close to his neck, "You smell fine to me,"_

" _Oh...O-okay," he said a little flushed._

 _As they walked towards the library Caitlin couldn't help but think that Barry was a little strange._

 _But his company felt... nice._

 _{-}_

 _When Barry introduced her to Cisco, she wasn't sure what to do. She always thought that meeting new people was too tiresome -Barry being her first exception to the rule. But this Cisco guy was very funny and he never made her feel out of place, in fact, Cisco would include her in everything and explain as best he could all his movie and superhero references. He was a great guy and she had a lot of fun with those two._

" _So, I say that today at the Extravaganza we do something daring," Cisco said while rubbing his hands like an evil fly._

" _Daring?" Caitlin asked, not sure what that would imply._

" _Yeah, you need to be more out there Caitlin, like that time you did a one-eighty on Karaoke night,"_

 _Caitlin quickly sent Cisco a cold stare, "Can we not talk about that night?"_

 _Barry chuckled, "Yeah, Cisco. You've scarred Caitlin for life," the girl refused alcohol and any other Cisco invention ever since._

" _Whatever, you both are a bunch of sticklers," Cisco shrugged and popped a lollipop into his mouth._

" _We're not!" Barry and Caitlin said in unison._

 _Cisco smirked in satisfaction, "Prove it,"_

 _That night when they went to the Extravaganza, all three dared each other to do something outside their comfort zone._

" _Okay, so I'll go to the Back Breaker," it was one of the biggest roller coasters and Cisco wasn't too fond of them._

" _Very well," Caitlin nodded._

" _Barry will go to the Haunted House,"_

" _Yep," Barry said a little unsure, he hated everything scary._

 _Caitlin looked at the future CSI, "Barry if you don't want to you really don't have to go,"_

" _No, no, it's fine," he said with a big grin, "those things are for kids anyway,"_

 _He wasn't really fooling anyone._

" _As for you missy," Cisco started as he eyed the games around them, "what about that one?"_

" _The Kissing Booth?" Caitlin asked a little surprised._

" _Ye-"_

" _He meant the hot dog eating contest!" Barry said quickly, shooting Cisco a glare. What was he thinking? Poor Caitlin shouldn't go through something as childish and unhygienic as a kissing booth._

 _Cisco resisted the urge to snicker, "That's_ _ **exactly**_ _what I meant," he'd known Barry for over two years now and Caitlin for one, but it seemed there was something lurking with those two. He didn't know for sure though, since Barry would still bring up his ex-girlfriend at times. But he still suspected that maybe...those two had some spark there._

 _Sadly, the night didn't end too clean for the trio._

" _I'm not feeling too good," Caitlin said growing paler by the second._

 _Cisco and Barry looked at each other and Barry got to her side to serve as her support. "Let's go home for today,"_

" _O—"_

 _Cisco practically jumped back, the crowd around him stared, and Caitlin spilled a whole lot of hot dogs out._

" _EW! That's gross!" Barry couldn't help from saying. His favorite sneakers were ruined._

" _I saw that one coming," Cisco said as he handed them a towel and got a staff member to help._

" _Sorry," she said with shiny eyes and a wobbly voice._

 _Barry let out a deep sigh, "It's okay," he helped clean her up and carefully asked, "is that, uhm, all?" he really hope she didn't throw up anymore. He'd already disposed of his sneakers and folded his jeans up._

 _She nodded, "I think that's all,"_

 _Barry nodded relieved at the news, "Okay, let's head back home," he knelt before her in a familiar gesture and she climbed on his back ready for the piggy back ride, she was beat._

 _As the three walked back towards Cisco's car, the engineer couldn't help but look from behind and find that those two definitely had something going on. Maybe he was reading too much into things, but Barry wasn't nearly this considerate of other women around him, and Caitlin would avoid physical contact with others like the plague._

 _All Caitlin knew at the time was that Barry's back was so warm and comforting._

 _{-}_

" _So…" Felicity said as she applied a wine-colored lipstick._

" _So?" Caitlin responded as she put Felicity's hairpiece on._

 _The bride cleared her throat and then turned to Caitlin, "I hear you and Barry_ _ **finally**_ _," she really emphasized that 'finally', "got together,"_

 _Caitlin shook her head, "Not in the way that you think,"_

" _What do you mean!? You guys are head over heels for each other," Felicity said with a pout. Those two would be the death of her. They were too cute for words and they still said they were just friends. She was ecstatic when she heard Ollie tell Diggle about his cousin's crush, Caitlin, already being taken._

 _The doctor raised a brow to her friend, "Head over heels? Felicity you know we're not like that," how many times had she told Felicity that they were just friends?_

" _But don't you want to be?" Felicity was almost at the edge of her seat._

 _Caitlin looked up and thought about it. Being together with Barry...was it such a bad thing? It wasn't, he was a wonderful person. But she wasn't sure she was what Barry needed. Besides, his heart was already taken._

" _Look, Barry loves Iris,"_

 _Felicity rolled her eyes, she'd heard the 'Barry loves Iris' speech about a million times now. "Yeah, yeah, he is madly in love with a girl that already has a boyfriend and he calls occasionally,"_

" _You know she means a lot to him," she said as a matter of fact._

" _It doesn't mean that you don't," Felicity retorted, "can you just tell me why you don't tell Barry that you want to be with him?"_

" _We're friends, and I'm happy with the way things are," she shrugged. If it wasn't broke, why fix it? It was true that she loved Barry, but not in the way that Felicity implied. She didn't want to mess up what they had, he was far too important for her._

 _Felicity took a calming breath, "Okay, what if Barry asked_ _ **you**_ _to be more?" She changed strategies, "What if he was the one that wanted more from your friendship?"_

 _That got Caitlin to think momentarily about the possibility. Would Barry ever….? No, of course not. They knew each other too well and have been through too much together. If he wanted her that way he would've told her. Right?_

 _Besides, Caitlin didn't want to fall in love with anyone. As much a romantic as she was, she didn't want to go through the heartbreak. Not that she would admit to it, but she was terrified of relationships, of getting too attached and reaching the point of depending on one person alone too much...she would never do that. She would never be like her mother in that regard. She wouldn't lose her will to live for love, that was foolish._

 _Later that night, Felicity left her to greet other guests and but she wasn't alone for long –her all-time best friend quickly found her. If she didn't know any better, he looked a little paranoid and stuck to her like glue –she didn't mind._

" _You know Barry, it's been a lot of fun," she said as she took a sip of her champagne. She'd already verified that Cisco had not tampered with the alcohol._

 _Barry nodded in agreement, "Yes, I couldn't agree more," he would still look around as if he was waiting for someone to show up._

 _Caitlin wondered who it might be, "If you want to go mingle, you know I don't mind right?" he was going on and on about meeting people from Queen Industries and Palmer Tech earlier today that she wondered why he wasn't networking._

 _That got Barry's attention and he turned to her, "The only person I want to mingle with is right here," he told her with a grin. "How about we dance Dr. Snow?" he took her glass of champagne and set it on a nearby table._

" _I don't think it's a good idea," Caitlin and dancing didn't mesh well._

 _Barry still pulled her to a small corner of the dance floor, "I think it's a great idea," he said as he lowered his hands to her waist._

 _She looked down and then back at him, "Okay," she trusted him. She laced her hands behind his neck and noticed a pink tint on his cheeks. It probably had been a while since he danced and was embarrassed._

" _Just follow my lead," he said softly as he tried to move them to the side, but she ended up stepping on his toes._

" _Sorry," Ugh, she was terrible at this._

 _The CSI only shook his head and smiled encouragingly, despite having been stepped on three times in a row, "It's okay,"_

 _After a few more minutes of fumbling, Caitlin stopped. "This isn't working," she felt terrible for torturing him. She was waiting for him to let go so she could go sit down or simply avoid the crowd, but Barry didn't give in._

" _Let's try something different then," he bent down and whispered in her ear, "place your feet on top of mine, no one will know,"_

 _Caitlin felt a shiver go down her spine. She nodded to his request but took off her shoes in an effort to avoid hurting him further. "Dancing is not my forte,"_

 _Barry only smiled at her, "It doesn't have to be,"_

 _He began swaying them to the sound of the music and Caitlin looked at him with adoring eyes. Not for the first time, she thought about how amazing the man in front of her was. It didn't matter what anyone else said or saw. She was content with her relationship with Barry. He was her very best friend, her beacon of hope, and the man that couldn't fail her._

 _She didn't know what the future held for them, all she hoped was that she would forever have a place by his side._

{x}

This has been the longest chapter yet and believe me it's been revised more times than I can count, and still I feel like I could've added more…In any case, thank you so much for your incredible support and patience. I'd love to hear your thoughts and theories of what comes next.

As a gift of appreciation, I wanted to share a little snippet of the next chapter, it's not done, but it is in progress:

 _Suddenly, she felt Barry's body tense up and he pulled away just enough to stare at her with wide green eyes._

" _Barry?"_

" _This isn't a dream, is it?" he said as his face started to gain color._

" _No," she said waiting for the inevitable freak out._

 _Barry nodded slowly and released her gently. "What a night, huh?"_

A special thanks to: _**PurpleYin, Various Guests, Awesomeness2502, thed4rksavior, Jmwatson504, ShanouNash, Maya, Shadow9841, Shyesplease, Jdcocoagirl, Fashiongirl23, Raquel, Amelia, and Augusthippie1993!**_

Your words warm my heart, I've read all your reviews and they help me keep going, thank you once again! 


	7. Chapter 7

_**.**_

 _ **.**_

 _ **.**_

 _ **Great Possibilities**_

D-1

Caitlin felt on arm resting on her waist and a familiar warmth enveloping her. She felt at peace and protected... and she also felt her legs tangled with someone else's. This sent warning bells to her head and she snapped her eyes open. What was going on? Why was she snuggled up with Barry so intimately? Oh, that's right. He had asked her to hold his hand until he fell asleep. She probably fell asleep before him. Although that still didn't explain why they were so...close. She tried to pry away from him but he pulled her closer instead.

"Five... more... minutes," she heard him mumble.

Okay, five minutes didn't sound too bad.

Now she had five minutes to think. Was it appropriate that two good friends were holding each other so intimately? Even for them this was a bit too much. Yet, she didn't find the strength to pull away nor the desire to do so. Things were not looking well for her. She had a strange feeling in her chest and she was very self-aware right this instant. No, she couldn't panic, this was okay, and they were friends. If anyone were to walk in on them, it would be normal because they were pretending to be engaged. However, this wasn't right either, she knew better than to be tangled up -metaphorically and literally- in these situations.

What would Barry think of her? Somehow, that worried her more than anything else did. Even more than the wild beating of her heart

"Cait?" he said with a raspy voice and blinking slowly.

"Hi," she said softly, hoping he didn't notice the warmth in her cheeks.

Barry smiled lazily and pulled her even closer, resting his chin on her auburn tresses.

Okay, so he didn't freak out. That was progress.

Suddenly, she felt Barry's body tense up and he pulled away just enough to stare at her with wide green eyes.

"Barry?"

"This isn't a dream, is it?" he said as his face started to gain color.

"No," she said waiting for the inevitable freak out.

Barry nodded slowly and released her gently. "What a night, huh?"

"Yes," she said as she pulled her leg away and sat on the bed. "I hope it wasn't too uncomfortable," maybe she was wrong. He was pretty calm about this.

"No!" He said quickly and cleared his throat, "I mean, it wasn't bad, I didn't even notice we were so close. Funny how these things happen, but what can you do, right?"

"I suppose," she was at a loss of words too. This impromptu Get-Iris-Back plan was not going the way she envisioned. She got up and headed to the restroom, "I'll shower first," she said as she closed the door behind her. She took a deep calming breath everything was fine. This was like hugging, just while laying in bed, that was the only difference. Besides, Barry was the one that would panic not her. Nope not her.

She heard a dull thud hit the floor.

"Are you okay!?" She yelled from the other side of the door.

"Fine, fine, I'm fine!" she heard him say in higher octave.

Phew, she released a sigh. A shower would help.

{-}

Nora and Henry eyed the couple in front of them. Something happened, they were certain. There were these awkward looks between them and there was a palpable tension in the air. Even Caitlin who was generally more poker faced tried to avoid everyone's eyes, particularly Barry's. Interestingly, while their son was somewhat flushed, it seemed like he wanted to tell her something. He would stare at her longingly and then go back to his food as if a spell had been broken.

"How was your night son?" Henry asked casually.

Barry's eyes snapped to his dad, "Great! Had a great night!"

Nora resisted urge to giggle, "Iris called saying you weren't feeling well yesterday,"

"I'm as good as new!" He said over eager, "All thanks to Cait," he looked at her, "isn't that right _honey_?" He cringed at the very end. Why in the world would he call her _honey_? He was probably over doing it right now.

Caitlin started to blush. Since when did they use those words with each other? "It wasn't that big of a deal, _sweetheart_ ," she tested the word out and it was weird. They weren't into those things. Definitely over doing it.

Oh, Nora liked this development, "My, my, your father and I are rubbing off on you two, isn't that adorable love?" she asked her husband.

Henry had the widest grin, "I knew you had it in you," he teased.

Barry and Caitlin shared a look and then turned quickly to their food.

The awkwardness was rising.

{-}

"The plan for today is to decorate the home for Iris' bachelorette party," Nora said while checking all the decorative supplies before her, "Barry and Henry will be helping Joe and Eddie at Joe's home for the bachelor party,"

Caitlin nodded and started to separate the decorative items into groups.

"Oh and don't worry my dear, I explicitly told Henry and Joe that any female surprises were forbidden," she said with a tight smile. She had yet to understand who came up with the nefarious idea of people of the opposite sex in minute clothing at bachelor and bachelorette parties.

Caitlin was even more in awe of the matriarch. She had everything under control and had this air of authority around her. She hadn't even thought about what happened at these parties, since the only one she'd ever been invited to was Felicity's but she hadn't been able to go because of work.

As they started with the decorations, Nora took the opportunity to strike some conversation with the doctor.

"Did you have fun yesterday?" She asked casually as she filled balloons.

Caitlin was doing the same at the opposite side of the table, "Yes, the Extravaganza was very fun," well, it had been up until poor Barry practically spilled his guts on the floor. Thankfully, he was as good as new this morning.

"Wonderful," Nora replied and glanced at the doctor briefly.

"Did you and Dr. Allen have a good time?" Caitlin asked, she was still working on calling Dr. Allen _Henry_ , but was failing miserably.

Nora got this dreamy look in her eyes, "Oh yes, my Henry is the best," they had lots of fun and caught up on so much. They also had a deep discussion about their son and his future wife. Oh, Barry and Caitlin...they were so unbearably cute and incredibly oblivious.

"That's good to hear," Caitlin smiled to herself. Barry's parents were a far cry from the way she envisioned married couples. Her parents were in a much different world. Her mom only worried about her husband and constantly chided him every time he tried to do something on his own. His father, as loving as he was, was generally frustrated with the way his wife treated him. They loved each other but...that wasn't the type of love Caitlin admired.

The Allen matriarch noticed that faraway look in Caitlin's eyes. She didn't like how her whole semblance deflated, "Sweetie," she called.

"Hm," Caitlin looked up, "Yes Nora?"

There. Nora was satisfied that she had pulled Caitlin from a dark place, "There is something I've been wanting to tell you for a long time,"

Caitlin looked at her curiously, "What is it?"

Nora placed her supplies on the table and held Caitlin's hand. She looked at the young doctor with her own set of deep and caring green eyes, "Thank you,"

The doctor blinked. "Why? I don't think I've done anything for you to thank me," she really hadn't done anything. Not that she could think of.

The red head looked warmly at her future daughter-in-law, "You've done a lot more than you think," she told her with a heart-melting smile.

Somehow, Caitlin's cheeks turned pink, "Nora I…"

"Caitlin, you have no idea what you've done for my son," Nora's easygoing demeanor was replaced by a seriousness that Caitlin had never seen on her in these last few days. "I didn't know that my Barry had chosen the most perfect woman for him before I met you,"

Caitlin remained silent. The guilt was eating away at her.

"I worried that maybe he wouldn't be able to get over his first love," she said softly, "but then you came into his life and changed him,"

"I don't think I changed him," Caitlin shook her head. "It was quite the opposite really,"

"How so?" Nora asked. She wanted to hear Caitlin's true feelings.

Caitlin looked down and smiled to herself, "He helped me see the world in a whole different light," she thought back on all those times Barry was there for her and how he supported her unquestioningly. "He's helped me see the beauty of this world, of the people in it. When I was alone, he was there for me, and even when I didn't know I needed something or someone he...was there," before she met him, Caitlin lived a routine driven and unsatisfying life. She only looked to check off items on her to do list and strive be the best she could be out there. She felt bitter because of her loss and felt as if she had to put up a brave facade for the world to see. But not with Barry, she could show him her vulnerabilities and he wouldn't be anything less than supportive, "He...he means a lot to me," he was her world (not that she would tell him that though, there were boundaries, even when the lines blurred a little). "I could never thank him enough for being the most amazing friend I've ever had," her first true friend really.

Nora's eyes sparkled with mischief, "He is a great young man,"

"The best," Caitlin said sincerely. She didn't know what she would do without him.

Nora gently patted Caitlin's hand, "I'm sure you are _his_ most amazing **friend** honey,"

Caitlin smiled, "I hope -" oh no. Her smile quickly went away.

Nora tilted her head to the side, "What's wrong?"

"Uh, no, nothing," she slowly pulled her hand away and resumed her project of filling out balloons.

The matriarch of the house smiled to herself and went back to her project as well, "For a moment there I thought you realized I _knew_ ,"

No, no, no, this wasn't happening. "Knew what?" She tried to keep her cool, but it was evident she was nervous.

"I think you know Caitlin," the doctor still refused to make eye contact with the older woman.

An unsettling silence took over and Caitlin was thinking of ways she could do damage control. Out of all the potential ways, she thought their little lie could be discovered, she firmly believed it would be Barry spilling the beans and not her.

Nora went about her merry way putting balloons around the house. She was giving the young doctor time.

A minute turned into five and Caitlin came up with nothing. She took one courageous breath and turned to look at Mrs. Allen, "Since when?"

Time was up. Nora turned to her and gave her a knowing smile, she was far from upset, but the doctor didn't know that, "Maybe around the time Barry called me to say he was engaged." It was a strange call that Nora received a few days ago, with her son telling her sheepishly, he was engaged and wanted them to meet his fiancé. Of course, that gave Nora a lot to think about. First of all, Barry was a romantic as much as his father was, so for him to simply announce he was getting married didn't quite add up or match is MO. Not that Nora was very surprised by whom his fiancé turned out to be. She _knew_ it was bound to happen one day. His son would realize what his doctor friend really meant to him and their relationship would progress as it should, but still things didn't click. Therefore, when she finally saw them at her door, she knew that something wasn't right and yet...something _was_ right.

Since the very beginning!? Caitlin hadn't even made it to Allen residence and Nora already knew. She must've looked like a fool in front of the woman. No wonder she asked them the difficult questions. Oh, Lord...they were in trouble. How would she tell Barry? "Why...why didn't you say anything?"

"Where would the fun in that be?" Nora said with a teasing grin. Those two were so much fun to watch, in between trying to be normal and act like a couple and trying (though failing miserably) at not getting caught up in the facade...Well let's just say Nora was having a lot of fun these last few days.

She knew it! Caitlin knew this plan was silly. How they got this far was beyond her comprehension, but now it all made sense. Ironically, Barry and her were the ones that were played, go figure. "It's not Barry's fault. This wasn't about lying to you and Dr. Allen," Caitlin pleaded.

"Caitlin, my son made the conscious choice to lie to us. _All_ of us," Nora sighed, "he should've known better," Ah yes, his Barry was so innocent at times.

The auburn haired woman nodded in agreement. After meeting Nora Allen for a week, she couldn't help but agree with her, Barry _should_ have known better.

"Besides, the both of you are adults and I'm sure it was all his idea,"

That was true, but she didn't want Nora to have a bad impression of Barry. His plan, while silly, had been in the name of love. "Just don't tell him that you know," Caitlin said quickly, "at least for now," she amended.

"Why?" Nora prodded.

"There's something he needs to do," Caitlin said firmly.

Nora looked at the doctor's determined eyes. How her son and this cute doctor didn't realize they were madly in love was beyond her. Clearly, Caitlin loved him so much that his happiness was her number one priority.

"And is this something involving our bachelorette?" Nora raised a wise eyebrow.

Caitlin suppressed the urge to gasp, Nora was far more intuitive than she had given her credit for and boy had she given her a whole lot of credit, "Yes…"

The redhead stared thoughtfully at the woman in front of her, "You don't mind it? It doesn't bother you?" These were strategic questions coming from the matriarch. Barry was very transparent and she knew that if she confronted her son, sooner or later she could get him to admit that he clearly had feelings for _his most amazing friend._ Caitlin, on the other hand, she was a tougher cookie to crack. Nora didn't know the background, but there must be a reason for Caitlin blinding herself to her feelings purposefully. She wasn't able to find out the reason these last few days, but she saw Caitlin's mask beginning to crack. Slowly, oh so very slowly, the doctor was starting to see her reality, the reality of where her true feelings for her best friend stood.

Caitlin looked down and chewed on her bottom lip. She wasn't bothered, no, she wasn't. She really wasn't. Yet, she couldn't bring herself to verbalize it. Even though she had heard about Iris throughout the years, seeing her and Barry together was completely different. "I...I…"

"Oh my gosh, traffic was horrible!" Iris came in with balloons and a few bags of goodies.

Nora slowly closed her eyes and sighed. She'd lost her chance to get Caitlin to realize…

"I'm going to the restroom!" Caitlin announced.

"Oh, okay," Iris said asking Nora with her eyes what was going on.

Nora only shrugged and went back to her duties. Hopefully, later she could resume her conversation with the doctor.

{-}

"So what are we doing?" Barry asked as he walked into Joe's house.

"Excellent question," Joe said from the kitchen. "What _are_ we doing?" He turned to his best friend.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I was thinking of having a guys day _in_ ," Henry said. "Unless there is something else you would like to do?" He asked the bachelor.

Eddie shrugged, "No, no, anything is fine really. I'm not much of a party person anyway," this whole bachelor party thing had been Iris' idea. However, he felt this strange warm feeling at sharing this experience with these guys. Joe, despite his initial reservations was very accepting and they never ran out of things to talk about, especially when it came to work. As for Wally, he treated him like an older brother and would proudly introduce him to his friends as his future brother-in-law. Even Dr. Allen, was a fairly nice man, he had a certain charm that Eddie wasn't quite familiar with, something that was also passed on to his son, because for all the things he could have against the CSI, he couldn't bring himself to hate him. And boy did he have reasons for that at times...

"The girls, are just next door preparing for their party, why don't we do something similar?" Joe suggested.

"A good BBQ, sports, and music?" Wally pitched in.

All the men agreed.

The West's and Eddie decided they would prepare everything in the house and rearrange the furniture for their gathering. While Henry took the opportunity to pull Barry aside and have them go to the store for all the food that would be needed. Feeding five men would not be a cheap task.

"Everything alright son?" Henry asked as they drove away.

Barry nodded, "Yeah, it's just…"

"Yes?"

"Dad I…" Barry hesitated and sighed, it's not as if he could tell his dad he was having an emotional battle right this instant. For one, it wasn't a manly thing. Second, he couldn't really explain to him why he was having an internal struggle to begin with. "How did you know mom was _the one_?" he smiled and changed the subject.

Henry decided not to push. He realized that his son's internal turmoil was something he should go through. Yet, he would always be there for him if he needed to talk. "Ah, my dear Nora," he sighed fondly and thought back on their early years. "It wasn't always easy, but son when the time comes you just know,"

Barry resisted the urge to roll his eyes. It was so much easier said than done, "Could you be any more vague dad?" he said half-jokingly.

Dr. Allen let out a hearty laugh and his son's frustration, "Tell you what son, I'll tell you the real story between your mom and me,"

The CSI looked at his dad curiously, "The real story?"

"We've always told you the summarized version, but let me tell you, we faced our fair share of bumps in the road. One in particular almost broke us apart,"

As they drove to the supermarket, Barry listened attentively to his dad.

"You see son, even though your mother and I met in high school and eventually married, there was a moment in our history where we didn't know if we would end up together…"

 _A college aged Nora and Henry were celebrating their fifth year anniversary._

" _Oh Henry, thank you for this wonderful dinner," Nora gave him a megawatt smile. Despite their interesting beginning, she was head over heels for this man._

 _Henry was unusually quiet but responded to her smile with a small one of his own, "Anything for you love,"_

" _So what was that you wanted to tell me?" she said as she took a bite from her strawberry cheesecake._

 _He let out a heavy sigh, this would not be easy, but this would only be a small bump in the road that they could recover from. If both of their feelings were as strong as they proclaimed this should not be hard._

 _Not too much anyway._

" _I...I…"_

" _Come out with it honey," Nora encouraged._

" _I'm going to Keystone City to do my residency," he said in one big breath._

 _Nora blinked twice and slowly left her fork by the forgotten cheesecake, "What?" They had their whole lives ahead of them. They promised each other forever and now Henry was leaving? "But why? There are so many hospitals here in Central City, I'm sure you could do your residency in any of them Henry,"_

 _He slowly stretched his hand holding Nora's petite one, "I know that," he looked deep into her eyes, "but Keystone has the best neurosurgery department and you know that my dream is…"_

 _Nora's eyes started to shine with unshed tears and she pulled her hand away, "Dreams Henry? Where does that leave me? You'll easily be gone for three years…" Who knew what could happen in that time frame? What if he forgot about_ _ **her**_ _? What about their dreams?_

" _Nora, sweetheart, three years will be gone in no time and I'll come and visit whenever they give us a break," he reached for something in his pocket and knelt on one knee, "I...I would like for you to wait for me," he opened the dark velvet box and showed her a modest ring, "will you wait for me Nora?" he said with sincere brown green eyes._

 _Nora's tears started to fall freely, "You're being incredibly unfair Henry, "she walked away briskly. They were both recent college graduates and now Henry, her Henry, was walking away to Keystone City….away from her._

 _Henry let out a defeated sigh, maybe he was wrong and their love wasn't enough._

 _{-}_

 _Today was Henry's flight to Keystone City and the nerves were eating away at her. She hadn't seen him since the incident at the restaurant, where she practically walked away from him. She thought a lot about him, them, and the future. Waiting for Henry wasn't really the problem. She would wait for however long she needed to. What ate away at her, were her own insecurities. Henry was a handsome, intelligent, and sweet guy, any girl would be lucky to be with him. Which made her wonder if she was enough. He would probably be surrounded by incredibly smart women, future doctors no less, though she hoped they were ugly at least (later she'll realize how petty she was being). What if during his time away, he forgot about her and decided she was no longer enough?_

 _What if Henry got tired of her? He had always done all the chasing, both the literal kind and the metaphorical kind, because he chased away her own demons where it concerned their relationship. And now he would be leaving…_

 _She looked outside her window wistfully thinking that all good things must come to an end. But did they have to? Nora got up from her bed and went to her bookshelf where she pulled out her high school yearbook. It had been years since she last saw it. In fact, she never looked at it again after she passed it around for her classmates to sign._

 _She opened the glossy pictures and saw history unfold before her. Those were the easy days, where she only worried about getting good grades and outsmarting her teachers. There was time for everything, and just when she thought she had everything figured out, Henry Allen barreled his way into her life...and her heart. "Oh Henry," she said fondly, as she came across pictures of him in the track team and the debate club. Henry was a superstar and out of all the girls he could have chosen, he choose her, the plain, smart, if a little clumsy, Nora._

 _As she flipped the pages she stopped at the_ _ **Most Likely**_ _section, where there was a picture of Henry and her just about to kiss:_ _ **Most Likely to Live a Happily Ever After**_ _it read and she couldn't help but to blush at the phrase. Silly Henry had begged the journalism club to create that category for them, because that's how he felt about her. Like she was his fairy tale, he had told her many times before._

 _Once she reached the last page, she looked at the many messages her previous peers had left her. Some were funny, others were encouraging, but there was this one that said:_

 _ **Dearest Nora,  
I don't know what life after high school will be like, but I know this...I want to be with you for the rest of the days I have left in me.**_

 _ **Will you let me make you the happiest woman in the world?**_

 _ **With Love,**_

 _ **Your lovable -future- Dr. Allen**_

 _ **PS. Love you -future- Nora**_ _ **Allen**_

 _Nora Allen? She loved the sound to it. She read the message again and again and then...her eyes snapped open. It finally hit her. Even since then Henry thought about her_ _that way_ _. He wanted to spend his life with her since they were just two kids who were too in love for words._

 _The truth was she wanted to spend the rest of her days with him too._

 _With stubborn tears going down her cheeks, she got up and left at light speed from her home, hoping against hope that she would make it just in time to see her Henry._

 _It was time she did some of the chasing too._

 _{-}_

 _Henry looked back one more time wishing that his favorite red head was there, but of course, she wasn't. He knew Nora was a tough one, but he hoped that after all their time together, she could see what she truly meant to him._

 _Sadly, that hadn't been the case._

" _..ry!"_

 _Huh? He wondered where that came from._

" _Henry!" He heard that voice again, a voice he knew all too well._

" _Nora!" He said without hiding his happiness at seeing her._

 _She was running faster than he had ever seen her run before, so much so, that she wasn't able to stop once she caught up to him and they both tumbled down to the cold floor._

" _Sorry," she said shyly._

" _What for?" He asked while looking at her lovingly._

 _Nora blushed a little and removed herself from him just enough for the both of them to sit up. "For coming onto you like that," she wondered if her clumsiness would ever go away._

 _Henry chuckled, "Oh that? And here I thought you were sorry for breaking my heart," he wasn't mean about it, at least he didn't intend to be, though Nora did flinch. Somehow, Henry's heart knew that things were going to be okay. Yet, that didn't mean he couldn't poke a little fun at the situation._

" _Sorry about that too…"she said as she nervously placed a red lock of hair behind her ear. She was very nervous. "Actually I…"_

" _Yes?" He encouraged her._

 _She closed her eyes fiercely and extended her hands as if waiting for him to give her something._

" _Nora?" Henry asked slightly confused._

 _After a moment of silence, he heard her whisper a faint, "I'll wait,"_

" _You'll wait?" She nodded, "for what?" Nora bit her cheek and blushed even more than before. Then it dawned on him… "Oh! So you'll wait for me to come back. That's excellent news," he said nonchalantly._

 _Nora opened her eyes slowly. What? This was it? She had envisioned their reunion much more...dramatic if not romantic. She slowly started to get up and Henry did the same._

" _Oh look, my flight is boarding," he said as people around him started to check in, "I guess it's time for me to go. Thank you for seeing me off Nora," he gave her a grateful grin._

" _No...no problem," this definitely hadn't gone the way she envisioned. It seemed bleak somehow, and, dare she say, underwhelming?_

 _Henry turned around and Nora had done the same. She had only taken half a step forward when she felt a strong hand spin her around and pull her into a searing kiss. It didn't take Nora long to respond to those lips she knew all too well. They kissed, and then kissed some more, as if it was the last time they would see each other and when they slowly found the strength to pull away Nora looked lovingly into Henry's eyes, which were full of the same emotion._

 _They both smiled at each other and when the last announcement for him to board came around, he gave her one last peck on the lips not without whispering a heartfelt "_ _ **Thank you**_ _."_

 _As Nora saw Henry's flight take off she noticed a small item in her sweater pocket. She slowly pulled it out, revealing it to be that velvet box she saw weeks ago. It had a small note attached to it._

 _ **I love you Nora Allen**_

"And then?" Barry asked curiously, as they loaded the food into the truck.

"And the rest is history as they say," Henry said with a self-satisfied grin. Those were quite the memories and both Nora and himself have come a long way since then. It's funny how growing up works, you don't even notice it until you go down memory lane and see how you truly have changed.

As Barry took his seat in the truck he couldn't help but ask, "But dad, how did you know mom was the one? In all of what you've told me, it seemed like you knew almost from the very beginning,"

Henry chuckled, "Oh Barry, it's not about knowing or feeling who's the one," at his son confused face he continued, "You see son, you can't choose who's the one, they have to choose _you_ ,"

"What?" That confused him even more.

"Your mother and I were together for a while and I did ask her to marry me," in a somewhat unconventional fashion, "but it was until she choose _me_ , that she really became _the one_ ," before Barry could chime in, Henry continued, "we can choose who we fall in love," the he stopped himself and rethought his statements, "well, no, you don't really choose people, love develops and grows, but the point is," Barry wanted to interrupt his dad once again, but he wanted to know what _the point_ of this all was, "even if you fall in love with someone, doesn't mean that they have to love you back,"

Barry looked ahead and thought about that statement. It was true, you could love someone with all your might, but that didn't mean they had to love you back. And yet…

"So when you asked me how did I know your mother was the one..." with a fond and nostalgic smile he answered, "I knew she was the one, the moment she came running after me at the airport. She could've chosen not to wait and go on about her life without me, but she didn't,"

Barry smiled, "She choose you,"

"Exactly,"

"So I guess when the time comes, you just _know_ ," Barry said in understanding.

Henry nodded and smiled to himself.

{-}

The Allen residence was full of an interesting group of women, and Caitlin was in the middle of it all. She tried not to be uncomfortable with so many people gathered in an enclosed space, but it was quite the challenge. At least it seemed like Iris was having fun, she was smiling away at her selected guests and shared fun anecdotes about her life with Eddie so far.

"She makes for a pretty bride, huh," a woman with short hair came to sit next to her.

"Yes, she does,"

The woman turned to her and squinted her eyes at the doctor, "You seem awfully familiar, have we met before?"

Caitlin blinked in confusion, "I don't think so?" And yet the woman did look oddly familiar.

"No, I'm pretty sure I've seen you before," she looked a bit longer and went through her mental rolodex, she was good with faces and wasn't a star reporter at the Washington Post for nothing, "that's it!" She snapped her fingers in realization, "You're the jealous girlfriend!" She said with pride.

Nora, who was a few feet away making sure snacks were available to the guests, stopped what she was doing and inconspicuously got closer to the doctor and the journalist. _Jealous girlfriend_ was not how she would describe her future daughter-in-law, was there something she didn't know?

"I honestly have no idea what you are talking about," Caitlin took a sip of her drink and looked at the woman before her with even greater confusion.

The journalist let out a small giggle, "I'm sure you probably don't remember me, this was a while back, but I kind of went on a date with your boyfriend back when we were in college," she hopped that rung a bell, the doctor didn't seem like the type that would have many boyfriends. "Cute science guy?"

Now it was Caitlin's turn to browse through her memories. She didn't have a boyfriend in college, but there were some occasions when… "You mean Barry?"

"Barry?" she looked up pondering on his name, "I think that was his name, sounds about right. I remember you hit him hard that day," she smirked.

Could the earth open and swallow her whole? "Oh…" I crimson blush crept to her face as much as she tried to suppress it, because it was very unlike her, she couldn't.

"I swear there was nothing going on, it was super harmless," she drew a cross around her heart.

"I'm sure," now what would be a good escape plan.

"How are things going between you two anyway?"

Caitlin took a quick sip from her drink, "Good,"

"So you're still together?" The journalist wouldn't give in that easily, surely there was more to the story.

Caitlin looked away, "Something like that," what else could she say?

Oh, they were getting somewhere, "Any plans of getting married? I mean, it's been what? Seven, eight years or something? I mean, not that you _have_ to, but you seem like the traditional type, so…"

Okay, Caitlin needed to get away and she needed to get away fast. "Uhm,"

Nora, as if sensing the doctor's uneasiness, stepped in. "Oh my, who's this lovely lady?" She shot Caitlin a look and the doctor gratefully excused herself. Caitlin did not need to reveal any more than necessary. That _jealous girlfriend_ episode could remain hers and Barry's little secret.

"My name is Linda," the journalist said with a brilliant grin.

"Linda, what a pretty name," Nora took a sip and a curious glint took over her amicable eyes, "I couldn't help but overhear that you went on a date with my son back in college,"

"Super harmless, I swear," Linda said jokingly.

"Please tell me all about it,"

{-}

"And that's what I call a close game,"

"At least we won," Joe took one final sip from his beer, "Captain Singh will have to approve my vacation days now," the detective cackled internally, his little bet with the Captain had paid off.

"So now what?" Wally asked excitedly. He wasn't ready for the night to end. This was his first bachelor party and he was going to brag about it to his friends for all it was worth.

Everyone looked at Eddie waiting on what to do next. "Uhm, I'm good with whatever you all want to do,"

"It's your day Eddie, is there something you want to do?" Barry of all people asked.

"Well…" Eddie smiled to himself, "it may sound boring but, what about a poker night?"

Wally rolled his eyes, what about clubbing, girls, music? Sheesh, these guys were boring.

Henry and Joe shared a look, "Wanna teach these kids a lesson detective West?"

"You took the words right out of my mouth Dr. Allen,"

It was settled. The men started to set the table and cards for their poker night. It wouldn't be a harmless poker night, that was for sure.

"Alright, to add more substance to this, let's make some bets on every round, how about it?" Wally suggested.

"I'm up for it," the elder men said in unison and smirked at one another.

"Count me in," Eddie said in good fun.

Barry just pulled at his collar, card games were not his forte.

After five rounds, it was clear that Henry and Joe owned this game. Henry won the first and third rounds and dared the other men to take off a piece of clothing and to eat a habanero chili all in good fun. Joe had won the other three and asked for a meal from every men, their treat, plus IOUs whenever he needed them. He was really enjoying himself right now.

Wally gathered Barry and Eddie to the side, "Okay, can someone explain to me why pop's and Uncle Henry are wiping the floor with us?"

"They're that good?" Barry chimed in. He knew he had little chances of winning.

"And they've gotten a great set of cards," Eddie wasn't that bad at poker, but he was still wanting to be in his father-in-law's good graces, letting him win wasn't that bad.

"All I know is that I ain't losing to them again," he said after chugging down his eighth glass of water. The habanero still stung.

Whatever Wally's plan had been, it worked, because the next round he won, "Alright, all may bow before me,"

Everyone rolled their eyes at the young man. "Here's what I want: Pop's no chores on Saturday's for the next month,"

"Not happening," Joe said dismissively.

"Next 2 Saturdays?" Wally tried.

"How about next Saturday, and that's me being indulgent,"

"Deal. Uncle Henry, I get your help on all my science classes for finals week,"

The gentle doctor nodded, "You got it kid,"

"Eddie, I am not babysitting during terrible twos, are we clear?" He gave his soon to be brother-in-law a pointed look. There was no room for discussion.

Eddie blushed and waved away, "Sure," the rest of the men laughed.

"And Barry…"

The CSI was sure he was not going to like this.

"You gotta tell me how did you score a lady-doctor as your girlfriend?" While he heard of Caitlin in the past, seeing the woman in the flesh had been a new experience. Now it made sense why his pseudo brother was so infatuated with the girl. Who knew Barry got moves?

Barry scratched the back of his neck nervously, "Well…"

Henry was really going to enjoy this. It would be nice to see what his son came up with this time.

"I mean Caitlin is…" there was a long pause after his words, "I mean, she…"

Eddie gave the other men a mischievous _I-got-this_ look, "No offense, but you don't seem too compatible," he said as he shuffled the cards.

That ticked Barry, what did that even mean? "Excuse me?"

Joe and Henry took the popcorn bowl and started looking between the two.

"If you think about it, Caitlin is poised, structured, and cool headed," Eddie said with respect, "and you are...very different, you're more impulsive, open, and hot headed," at least from what Iris had told him.

Henry, Joe, and even Wally who had his mouth full of popcorn nodded in agreement.

After a calming breath Barry said, "You're right, she is all of those things, and so am I,"

"Right," Of course the detective knew he was right.

"But even with our differences, there are so many things that we have in common. For example, our love for science, and all things nerdy. Our willingness to take care of each other and make each other laugh," all the men gave Barry a funny look, Caitlin was not the funny type, "it's true! Besides Caitlin is the most loyal, loving, and caring person on this planet," he said wholeheartedly. "And you don't love people for how similar or different they are from you, you love them for who they are and what they inspire you to become,"

Eddie blinked at Barry's outburst, the guy was a goner for sure. Now he understood where the girl's undying devotion came from...the CSI was equally devoted. And all of that brought peace of mind to him, because his previous worries melted away. There was no way that someone who loved his fiancé that much could even dare to look at another woman. Caitlin was right, everything would work out in the end.

"Alright, so spill the beans Bar," Wally urged.

"How did you get the girl?"

{-}

The party was slowly dying down and Caitlin couldn't be more grateful. She actually volunteered to go to the kitchen and start cleaning before all the guests left. As she washed some of the dishes, she noticed two people meeting at the gazebo that connected the Allen and West homes from the small kitchen window. A wave of insecurity hit her, just a few feet away were Barry and Iris, talking intimately if she may add. Which shouldn't even bother her; they were good friends, that was normal among friends, right? Save for the small detail that Barry didn't see Iris as _just_ a friend, but still. It's not like her and Barry were a real couple anyway. And yet these last few days had brought many realizations to the forefront for her, namely her feelings for her best friend...where they as platonic as she forced herself to believe?

What she wouldn't give to hear what they were saying to each other, and yet she took a calming breath, it wasn't her place. This was Barry's life and his chapter to close. But what if… suddenly her grip in the glass tightened, Barry and Iris were gazing intently at one another and they were getting closer and closer.

She shut her eyes tight and gripped the glass tighter until it broke in her hand. She couldn't look anymore and just turned around.

"Caitlin!" Nora called from the living room and rushed to her aid, "What happened?"

"Sorry, my hand slipped" she pulled Nora away from the window and both cleaned her wound. Thankfully, it hadn't been deep.

"Phew, I'm glad it was only a superficial cut," Nora said with a warming smile.

Before Catlin could respond her phone vibrated, "Hello, Dr. Snow speaking," after a few moments Caitlin nodded to herself, "I understand. Yes. I'll be on my way,"

"Everything okay darling?"

Caitlin's face, which had become warm and caring these last few days, become cold and detached in Nora's eyes.

"I have to go, an emergency came up," she walked past the Allen matriarch and gathered her things, "thank you for these last few days Nora, I really had a great time," for a moment she had let herself fall into the facade and believed in the impossible. She gave the woman, who had won her heart and respect in just days, a tight hug and a bittersweet smile.

"You'll come visit, right Caitlin?" Nora said with a motherly smile, which conveyed understanding and care. Her words meant the world to the doctor, because despite the charade Nora treated her kindly. It was selfish of her, but she began seeing the beautiful red head as a mother figure, but somehow she couldn't help herself.

"It would be my pleasure,"

Nora knew the moment Caitlin stepped out the door that some spark had left the Allen home. Her instincts kicked in and she went back to the kitchen where she had seen the change in the doctor's demeanor. Before she could begin her investigation on the cause of Caitlin's sadness Barry rushed in from the kitchen door.

"Mom, where's Cait?" He asked barely containing his excitement. He had the biggest smile Nora had seen on her son. He needed to tell her something right this instant, it was the revelation of the night. This was a huge game changer for the young man and he wanted nothing more than for Caitlin to be the first (or rather the second) person to know.

"She left son,"

Barry's smile instantly disappeared, "She left?" Why didn't she say anything? Was she not feeling well? Did something happen? He needed to see her to make sure she was okay.

As if reading his mind Nora added, "An emergency came up at the hospital and she had to leave, I'm sure she'll call you as soon as she can,"

"Oh," Barry said simply and locked his phone once again; he had been just about ready to call her.

"Is there anything that your mother can help you with sweetie?" Nora sensed that there was something Barry wanted to get off his chest, though she wasn't sure he would share it with her just yet.

Barry was about to say something but just shook his head and smiled to himself, "Nothing important mom, how about I help you clean?"

With that, he put his phone away and continued washing the dishes, just like Caitlin had done earlier. Nora gave her son one last look before going back to the living room.

Something happened.

What unsettled Caitlin and made her son giddy with excitement (if only momentarily)?

She really wanted to find out.

{-}

 _ **First Time's the Charm**_

 _One thing was trying to get over your ex-girlfriend, the other, was being set up on these blind dates by Cisco. He wouldn't even give him time to mourn his newly acquired single status._

" _I love journalism, my dream is to work at the Washington Post," the girl said enthusiastically._

 _Great, another journalist. Exactly what he needed, "That's nice," he said with an awkward smile. He would rather be anywhere else than here._

" _And you Barry? Are you going to med school? Isn't that what all science majors do?" she asked while taking a sip of her iced tea._

 _Barry's eyebrow twitched, "Actually, I'm studying forensic science, I want to be a CSI,"_

" _Oh, I've seen that show!" She exclaimed, "Sounds super exciting,"_

" _Right," he ended, not really knowing what else to say. "Uhm, could you excuse me for a second?" He stood up and left to the men's room. How could he get out of this one? Cisco had left for a conference and Caitlin...wait, maybe she could...it couldn't hurt to try. He texted Caitlin hoping she would save him. Granted they'd only known each other for three months, but it was worth a shot._

 _When he returned, his date was finishing her order, "I hope you don't mind, I got us both chicken salads," she said with a big smile, "minus the chicken, though, I'm vegetarian,"_

 _He nodded. When will this torture be over? The rest of their date went on without much conversation on his end. Fortunately (or unfortunately), the girl had a LOT to talk about. After a good twenty minutes passed he was ready to run for the hills, but his manners wouldn't allow it._

" _Barry," a female voice called from the side and he turned to her with grateful eyes. His savior had arrived._

" _Excuse me, who are you?" the girl asked annoyed. Couldn't the stranger see that they were busy here?_

" _I'm Caitlin," she said simply. She looked from the girl to Barry, who looked at her with a weird face as if trying to tell her something, "I'm...Barry's girlfriend!" she blurted out._

" _Girlfriend?" Barry and his date asked in unison. Last she knew, Barry didn't have a girlfriend. At least that's what that engineering guy told her._

 _Barry cringed internally, "That's...that's right, she's my girlfriend," he got up from his chair so fast it fell on the floor and took Caitlin's hands, "baby this is_ _ **not**_ _what it looks like, I swear!"_

 _He was totally overdoing it. "I think it's exactly what it looks like," she continued the charade and gave them both a cold stare before turning around upset._

" _It's really not, she's just a friend," he took her hand and pulled her to him._

 _The girl in question felt offended, but she was too dumbfounded to do anything other than seeing the lovers' quarrel unfold in front of her._

 _Caitlin quickly pulled away and slapped him hard, "Then stay with your_ _ **friend**_ _," she resisted the urge to cringe. The slap had been way over the top...thank you Mexican soap operas for unleashing this dramatic side of her. She practically jogged away with Barry hot on her trail, once they were a block away they hid behind an alley catching their breath. This had been one of the most exhilarating things she'd done in her young life._

 _They were both breathing heavily, when she heard Barry say._

" _Did you really have to slap me?" He asked massaging his cheek. The girl had an iron hand. He didn't expect she would go that far. Actually, he didn't even think she would say something like she was his girlfriend. Well, to be honest, he didn't know what to expect where it concerned the girl._

 _She shrugged, "You said you needed help," before he could say anything else she added, "and that was the first thing that came to mind. Sorry about your cheek though," she said sheepishly._

 _He gave her a funny look, "I guess that was one way of doing things,"_

 _They stared at each other for a short while and slowly complicit smiles pulled at their lips and they ended up laughing aloud._

 _That was the first time Caitlin had laughed wholeheartedly in a long time._

 _That was the first time Barry saw Caitlin laugh...and the first time he thought she was cute._

 _{-}_

" _I don't know Cait, I don't really like the guy," Barry said uneasily._

" _You said I had to interact more with other people," she answered. Barry and Cisco were helping her pull away from her shell and had suggested she tried making new friends. She was only trying to be friendly._

 _Barry ran a nervous hand through his hair, "Yes, but...look I have a bad feeling about this guy,"_

 _Caitlin smiled reassuringly and patted his shoulder, "We're only going to a science fair Barry," her friend was cute when he worried about her._

 _Barry was still uneasy, "I...well…" he ended up letting out a big sigh instead. "Okay, but if you need me for_ _ **any**_ _reason, just call,"_

" _Okay," she said obediently and waved him goodbye. She shook her head with a smile, only Barry would worry this much over something so trivial._

 _At night, Barry went out for a jog at the park -which was a convenient excuse to be on the lookout for Caitlin, but she didn't need to know that -. As he walked by the park across he saw a couple ahead of him. He didn't want to eavesdrop but he couldn't help from standing behind a tree to get a good look and listen in. Once he focused on the couple, he realized it was Caitlin and her date...her friend...right, her friend. Which Barry didn't like one bit. Not that Caitlin couldn't have guy friends, but this one in particular rubbed Barry the wrong way. Besides, couldn't she be like all the other girls and start with girl-friends? That would really put his mind at ease and he wouldn't suspect every guy that tried to get close to her. He was her best friend and needed to look out for her best interest at all times. He shook his head and decided to pay attention to the couple instead, it seemed like they were in the middle of an argument, and Barry didn't know if he should be happy or upset about that._

" _I thought we were on a date and then I see you making eyes at Albert," the blonde said in anger._

" _We're not dating," she said as a matter of fact but not the least bit concerned by the man's anger, "and I wasn't making eyes at Julian, he was explaining his project to me, it's different,"_

 _He grabbed her roughly by the shoulders and the woman didn't even flinch, "Are you saying that this whole day was just two friends hanging out?" He let out a dark chuckle, "Aren't you clueless Ice Queen?" Caitlin flinched ever so slightly. She hated that nickname. Hunter hadn't gone out of his way to please this bookworm of a girl to not get his reward._

" _You know what Caitlin Snow, you've been the biggest waste of time of my life," and with that he pushed her to the floor._

 _She fell unceremoniously on the floor and Barry couldn't just be a passive observer any longer._

" _Hey!" He yelled as he came out of hiding and headed towards the couple, "Leave her alone!" He knelt down to help this friend get up but before she was able to take his hand, he felt someone pull him from his collar._

" _What? Are you the boyfriend in shining armor?"_

" _So what if I am!? What's you're pro-" Barry couldn't finish saying anything as he felt a rock solid punch to his cheek. Yes, this was exactly what he needed, to end the day on a perfect note._

" _I hope I never see the both of you again," and with that the blond man left._

 _Barry started to massage his jaw, this guy was strong. That's what he got for going toe to toe with an athlete like Hunter._

" _Oh Barry, I'm so sorry," Caitlin pulled her first aid kit from her bag and started cleaning Barry's wounds. Without asking, she took his face gently and started dabbing away at the blood. "I should have listened to you,"_

 _As much as Barry wanted to tell her 'I told you so' it wasn't the time nor the place. Besides, Caitlin looked as if she was just about to cry. Then people wondered why she had trust issues._

 _Barry enveloped her in a strong but gentle hug, "Hey, it's okay. Nothing wrong with giving people a chance,"_

 _She returned the hug with the same intensity, "The only people I want to take a chance on are you and Cisco,"_

 _He buried his face in her auburn hair and smiled. Somehow, he didn't have a problem with that. Caitlin could expand her wings, whenever she felt ready, in the meantime he would be supporting her every step of the way._

 _After some silence, Caitlin pulled away just enough to look at Barry straight in the eye, "Barry,"_

" _Yes Cait?"_

 _She tilted her head to the side, "Why did you tell Hunter you were my boyfriend?"_

 _Barry blinked in confusion, when did he ever say that? "I don't recall, did I really say that?"_

 _The future doctor smiled to herself and shook her head, "Just kidding," he didn't really say that, he only implied it. There was no point in embarrassing the young man._

 _Later that night, Barry touched his cheek gently and ran his fingers where Caitlin had patched him up. As he pondered on the events of earlier that night, it hit him. He sprang from his bed and opened his eyes wide…_

 _ **So what if I am!?**_

 _Ugh, he covered his head with his hands and let out sigh. All that teasing from Cisco was getting to him._

 _This was the first time he implied he was Caitlin's boyfriend, and somehow he wasn't nearly as bothered by it as he should have been._

 _{-}_

 _It was weird to her, someone was being genuinely nice to her aside from her selected group of friends and yet that made her a little happy too. After her experience with Hunter, she closed herself off to new friendships, and stuck to what she knew: her adorkable nerds. Yet, there was this man who would consistently go out of his way for her. She wondered if she had done anything different for him to treat her so kindly..._

" _Cait, are you listening to me?" Barry asked as he bit on a mouthful from his Belly Burger._

" _Sorry Barry, I was just thinking," she sipped on her strawberry milkshake and got that faraway look again._

 _And before Barry could ask her what exactly she was thinking about a man of clear blue eyes and jet black hair made his way to them._

" _Hey Cait, you left your bio-chem book at the lab, thought you would need it," he handed her the book with a dazzling smile._

 _The future CSI raised a suspicious eyebrow at this man, why was he calling her_ _ **Cait**_ _instead of Caitlin? Ehem, only a selected few could call her that, Mr. Bright Blue Eyes._

" _Thanks' Ronnie," she gave him a shy smile. He was such a good person._

" _Any time Cait," he winked at her and said his goodbyes to the both of them._

" _Any time Cait," Barry mimicked under his breath._

" _Did you say something Barry?" Caitlin asked._

" _Nothing," he gave his burger an angry bite. "Who was that guy anyway?"_

 _Caitlin looked in Ronnie's direction and then back at Barry, "That was Ronnie, he's an intern in the engineering department here at Star Labs,"_

 _Barry nodded, "It seems like he knows you very well," he said not even trying to disguise his annoyance. He wasn't even sure why this Ronnie guy unsettled him so much._

 _Caitlin shook her head, "He's just a really nice guy, very thoughtful too," and there it was again that shy smile that Barry had seen earlier._

 _This was the first time Barry had seen Ronnie...and he didn't like him one bit._

 _{-}_

" _I'm telling you he likes you Cait,"_

" _No he doesn't Barry, he's just a nice guy," Caitlin said for the umpteenth time._

 _Barry rolled his eyes, "Believe me, he. Likes. You." Everyone, but Caitlin apparently, could see that._

" _Really Barry? Whatever gave you that idea?" Sure Ronnie was a nice guy, very nice guy, but why in the world would he like her? The thought was just ridiculous._

" _Even a blind person could tell. It's the way he looks at you!" he finished a little more harshly than he intended._

 _Caitlin was a little taken aback by Barry's outburst, "Barry?" This was so unlike him._

 _Barry let out a frustrated growl, he was so mad at himself at the moment, "Sorry, job hunting has me stressed," which was a big fat lie, because he was already a shoe in at CCPD, but Caitlin didn't know that yet._

" _It's alright," Poor Barry, looking for jobs must be much more stressful than what she thought, she was lucky she still needed to finish her residency and could potentially land a job that way. "Say, would you like a strawberry milkshake?" They happened to be Barry's favorite, and hers too._

" _From Big Belly Burger?"_

" _You know it," she winked at him and looped her arm around his resting her head in the process and leading the way._

 _From the other side of the hallway Ronnie saw the short fight and the easy playfulness between the two. Although he had seen the two many times before, this was the first time he saw Barry and Caitlin like a genuine couple. Many at Stars Lab had told him it was a futile endeavor to pursue the future doctor, because her heart already belonged to someone else._

 _This was the first time he believed it._

 _{-}_

" _Caitlin, would you go out with me?" Ronnie said with a hopeful smile._

 _Caitlin looked at Ronnie as if he had grown another head, "Excuse me?"_

" _Will you go out with me?" The truth was that he was taken by her sincerity, calmness, and bluntness. The girl was brilliant and loyal to a fault and it would be his honor if she gave him a chance._

" _Ronnie I-"_

" _Raymond, Snow, I need you at the cortex to go over the newest data for the project," Dr. Wells said as a matter of fact from the door. Giving Ronnie a pointed look that sent a chill down his spine._

 _Caitlin didn't hesitate and went behind the doctor, while Ronnie followed closely behind._

 _When Dr. Wells started to discuss data results with the engineer, Caitlin couldn't help herself from observing the young man. He was incredibly kind, well-mannered, strong yet gentle, and very smart. However, she couldn't find it in her heart to reciprocate his feelings. How could she let him down gently?_

 _During her lunch hour she called an expert, she needed all the help she could get, "Cisco, hey, it's me," as she explained her ordeal to the mechanical engineer, she was mildly surprised that he let her finish without interruptions._

" _I see," although Caitlin couldn't see him he rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "Well young Padawan, the solution is simple,"_

" _What is it?"_

" _Just tell him you're taken," Cisco said wisely._

 _Caitlin furrowed her brows, "But I'm not,"_

" _And he doesn't know that,"_

" _But…"_

" _Do you want to let him down gently or not?" Besides, he had to look out for his man Barry here._

 _After a beat she sighed, "I suppose you're right,"_

 _Later that day she told a little white lie. It hurt to see Ronnie's shoulders slump and his smile drop, he was the happy go lucky type. Almost like Barry. But she couldn't give him any false hope. She had a thesis to finish._

" _I'm sorry, I have a boyfriend," she said._

 _Ronnie's demeanor fell, "It's Barry right?"_

 _What on Earth would give him that idea? In any case, she could use this to her advantage, "Yes, it's Barry,"_

 _She only hoped Barry didn't mind._

" _I should've known," Ronnie gave her a defeated smile, "for the record you look good together,"_

 _It was the first time someone had said that to her about her best friend._

 _She didn't know how right Ronnie was, or how often that thought crossed people's mind._

 _{-}_

There you have folks, the next installment of _Great Possibilities_. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and thank you for your patience and support. You are all AMAZING!

I know there were limited interactions between our protagonists, but I hope you were able to see why that was necessary. Big disclaimer, I have never been to a bachelorette party so that may be why my parties are so boring lol.

You may be wondering about Barry and Iris right now…no? Well you should. I'd like to read what you think happened between them. I purposefully did not include that in this chapter, but it comes up later in the story just in case you wanted to know. (I'm evil, aren't I?)

AND…yes to everyone that thought Nora was in the know about these two. Just to clarify, it's not necessarily that she _knew_ everything, but she had a reasonable suspicion that something was up with those lovable dorks and as she saw them interact she started to piece everything together. Also, I wanted to include a little snippet about Nora and Henry, they don't get enough love in this story, but I really like them. I wanted to show them in a different light, when they were young and made mistakes once upon a time, not just these wise know-it-all parents. Besides, their story also served to teach our Barry a lesson.

ALSO…as part of this story, there is a set of flashbacks at the end (or in the middle) and I was wondering if you had any ideas about a flashback that you would like to see? I have a few lined up already, but thought that incorporating some of your ideas would be a wonderful addition to the story (provided that they stay true to the tone of the story and the personality of the characters). So I'm taking prompts here, in case you're interested : )

 _A warm thanks to:_ _ **Randompasserby( x2 ), Guest2, Leanish203, ShanouNash, Stars90, Shyesplease, Idkaname, Maya, Shadow9841, Specks10 ( x2 ), PurpleYin, Guest1, Jdcocoagirl, Jmwatson504, and Augusthippie1993**_ _!_

Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with me, love you all!

 _ **Randompasserby**_ _: Agreed! These two are going to be the death of me._

 _And yes, sometimes I want to bash their heads too…_

 _ **Guest2**_ _: Your wish is my command. Here's the update ; )_

 _ **Leanish203**_ _: Glad you're loving it! I hope the you enjoyed this installment. Let me know what you think._

 _ **ShanouNash**_ _: It has been a while! I feel you, I changed jobs a few months ago and it's been a hassle, I was barely able to get back to writing about 2 weeks ago. Haha, can we say it was your impression? (Although, I really hadn't updated in a while)._

 _I don't know why I've been writing chapters this long. It's not intentional I promise. I'll try to write more to-the-point stories? I don't know, it's a fine balance between quality and quantity. I enjoy long chapters, but maybe I should give myself a limit or something._

 _Aww isn't she the cutest. I love Caitlin on doctor mode. She has a big heart and Barry does too, they just…they can be too good sometimes. I agree with your view on Eddie being on the short end of the stick here. It's not his fault that there are these unresolved feelings, but that needs to be cleared soon. While I could feel bad for Caitlin, I think that she knew what she was getting into and this situation is bringing her true feelings to light. It's a complicated situation, but I think that Eddie is the wronged party here…if anything Caitlin was in on Barry's little plan (evil Barry…hmm…maybe I should write an Evil!Barry story). Anyway, I think Iris (and Barry) needs to get it together pronto!_

 _Ha! Jealous!Barry is among my favorites to write. Yes he can be childish, but isn't he funny? He is taking steps in the right direction like you said, and he will be doing a lot of that pretty soon. As for Caitlin…she's coming to the point where she won't be able to deny her feelings any longer._

 _Oh I love, love, LOVE, writing the flashbacks to the story, it gives the current chapter substance and depth in my opinion, and shows you that Barry and Caitlin's journey goes further back than just this week._

 _Oh they know! They knew from the beginning, but they were smart enough to let things unfold and only act when appropriate. I love them._

 _I hope everything goes well for you and life stabilizes, if you ever want to vent please let me know : ) You can make good friends in this community._

 _Let me know what you thought of this chapter._

 _ **Stars90**_ _: Aren't they something else? Ah, Barry and Caitlin, they are hopeless…_

 _Thank you for reading!_

 _ **Shyesplease**_ _: Oh good! I'm glad you like the long chapters, I don't know what has gotten into me lately, because it's not my usual MO, but hey, if they make people happy that's awesome!_

 _That's Caitlin for you. Isn't she such a good person. I really wanted to get her perspective so you can see what was going through her mind as poor Barry was pouring his heart out. I don't think he would be this dramatic, but it was fun to write it that way lol._

 _Let me know what you thought of this chapter and their several firsts._

 _ **Idkaname**_ _: Aww you humble me! I'm so happy you like it this much!_

 _You know what? I hadn't thought about Nora and Caitlin having that type of conversation, but she would be the perfect person to open up to. I can't promise anything, but let's just say that there is something in the works, because Caitlin really needs to get that out of the way if she wants to move on._

 _ **Maya**_ _: Oh Nora and Henry are the captains of the Snowbarry ship. (Sorry Dr. Wells, you'll have your time to shine)._

 _Thank you for reading Maya!_

 _ **Shadow9841**_ _: Let me know what you thought of chapter 7, did it live up to your expectations?_

 _Thank you for reading!_

 _ **Specks10**_ _: Oh I live for parallels between these two and the matching clothes were super intentional, I see a lot of that in the show actually. I figured it would do well in writing too._

 _Haha! Caitlin…she cracks me up._

 _You think chapter 6 was the best one yet? Hmm…I'll have to out-do myself to surpass it then. Let me know which one turns out to be your favorite when the story ends._

 _A big virtual hug! Thanks for reading!_

 _ **PurpleYin**_ _: That's Caitlin for you. She cares about Barry that much. I felt that Cait and Eddie needed to have that chat, because they are in a similar boat here (as much as Caitlin would try to deny it)._

 _No, she wasn't ill…this time. We'll see what happens when the roles are reversed. Can Barry out-do Caitlin in levels of cuteness? Only time will tell._

 _What are your thoughts on the flashbacks for this chapter?_

 _ **Guest1**_ _: Look no further, updates are here ; )_

 _ **Jdcocoagirl**_ _: Hehee! Jealous!Barry is my treat to write. Why can't he just see what's right in front of him?_

 _Oh just you wait…believe me he will be worth the wait…_

 _I looked up the song Palaam Na, but it came up with different singers, which one do you recommend? Thank you for the recommendation!_

 _Jmwatson504: Aww! You warm my heart! I've never been that great of a writer, so it makes me super happy to read this. Thank you!_

 _Hope you enjoyed the chapter!_

 _ **Augusthippie1993**_ _: I'm so glad to hear that. I'm with you quality over quantity, but to be frank, I'd like to do a little bit of both._

 _Everyone can see that they love like each other, and they just…ugh…these two are so frustrating, but I love them anyway._

 _Wow, getting the re-read level is a big deal. Thank you for enjoying my writing and leaving such positive feedback!_

 _Let me know what you thought of this chapter. I'd love to read your thoughts (because that's not creepy)._


	8. Chapter 8

_**.**_

 _ **.**_

 _ **.**_

 _ **Great Possibilities**_

D-Day

He looked at his phone for the umpteenth time and sprung up when he saw a text from Caitlin.

 _Sorry. ER. Surgery._

Well that was better than nothing, he supposed.

He even got to the point of inviting Krypto to sleep with him. It wasn't the same, but at least he had company. Krypto jumped on the bed and instantly began to sniff Caitlin's side and scratch the covers in hopes of finding her. Barry saw the gesture and smiled to himself.

"You miss her too, buddy," he pulled the dog away and patted him, "it's just you and me today boy,"

The night was long, with so much tossing and turning that Krypto just jumped off the bed and slept on the carpet instead. Once morning came, Barry turned to his side and let out a deep sigh. It was strange to wake up alone after so many days waking up to Caitlin's warm hazel eyes. He had the hardest time sleeping yesterday night, he really wanted to see her and share with her his discovery. He called several times but was sent to voicemail until he filled it up. He wasn't the needy type. Really, he wasn't. However, there was this nagging feeling that ate away at him...he really wanted to see her.

{-}

Caitlin left the Allen residence without a backward glance. Someone needed her right now, and she need not waste her time in silly thoughts. She got on the taxi and asked the driver to hurry, there was someone who's life was at stake.

Once she arrived at the hospital she quickly headed to the ER area and pulled her white coat on. She gathered her hair in a messy bun and asked for a debriefing.

"Lady in her mid forties was T-boned by a truck handling construction materials,"

"Current condition?" Dr. Snow asked as she reviewed the information sheet.

"Well…" the aspiring doctor hesitated, "There is a metal pole that perforated her abdomen,"

The young doctor snapped the file closed, "What!?"

"Yeah, sorry about that. Hence why I called you and said it was an emergency,"

After a calming breath she continued, "Thank you Ms. Kane, please prepare a surgery room for the removal,"

"Already done Dr. Snow," the young lady beamed.

"Excellent work," Caitlin gave her the tiniest smile.

And the girl with colored hair beamed, "Any time,"

As Caitlin began to walk towards the surgery room she noticed the girl standing a few feet behind, "Aren't you coming?"

"Huh?"

"I'm sure this would be a great experience for a bright student like you...Magenta," she ended up saying.

"Are you serious!? I'll be ready in five, no two. I'll be there," she said overzealous. As opposed to many of the older doctors who saw the students as errand boys/girls Dr. Snow always treated them fairly and got them involved in things that really mattered. When the girl turned to go wash up and get ready she realized that Dr. Snow had called her _Magenta_ not Ms. Kane as she was used to. Finally she made her nickname stick, it was a great improvement for her, Dr. Snow wasn't as _cold_ as the others said.

Caitlin smiled to herself as she made her way to the surgery room. This was exactly what she needed right now, to pull her thoughts away from Barry, Iris' wedding, and more importantly...her own heart.

When she got the surgery room she scanned the patient and assessed the situation. By this time she had already cleaned and disinfected her hands, covered her hair and mouth, and wore the appropriate scrubbs. Things would be challenging but considering the amount of bleeding and the consciousness of the patient she thought that it was possible no critical damage had been done.

"Thank you for hanging in there Ms. Brand,"

"Call...me...Tracy," the patient said in shallow breaths.

"Of course Tracy. I'm going to proceed with the removal of the metal pole, afterwards I promise you will be able to rest okay?"

"How...how bad...does it look?"

"It looks a lot worse than what it actually is," she said reassuringly. "I'll start slowly, let me know if the pain becomes unbearable,"

Tracy nodded.

"One," Caitlin began to pull slowly, "two," she pulled a little more on saw Tracy wince, it was painful but she was being a good sport. "Three," and with that she pulled the pole completely and the patient let out a scream in pain before passing out.

"Okay let's get started," she told the team that was with her.

In the meantime, Magenta tried not to pass out herself.

{-}

"Dr. Snow, there is someone that would like to see you," she heard the lead nurse tell her.

"I'm sorry, I…" Caitlin wasn't really in the mood to see anyone right now. After a 12 hour shift (added to the gruelling 18 hours she'd been awake before coming to work), and a critical surgery she performed just a few hours ago, she wanted nothing more than to go home drown in a pint of ice cream and deal with her problems later. It wasn't her usual MO, but some emotional truths she fought hard to suppress were starting to bubble to the surface. She was running on auto-mode now, and it seems that the thoughts she left the Allen residence with just kept coming back.

She couldn't have that.

Sensing her negative answer the nurse pressed, "She insisted and said she was your... mother?" The nurse said a little uncertain.

Caitlin quirked a brow, there was no way…

"Sorry, your mother-in-law,"

Oh, okay...that still made no sense.

"Caitlin, darling," a voice she knew all too well as of late came from behind.

"Nora?" the doctor whispered a little surprised.

"Oh my, it's only been hours and I already missed you," Nora said with a beaming smile.

The nurse excused herself, not without giving a curious glance to the two women. She had a lot to tell the rest of the nursing team. She vaguely wondered if this woman was the cute CSI's mom. Sure Dr. Snow denied vehemently that there was anything going on between the two of them, but she (and the rest of the staff at the hospital) knew something was definitely going on between those two.¶

Although Caitlin wasn't much for appearances, she knew very well that she looked like a mess right now. With a small sigh, she led Nora to a secluded corner of the hospital's cafeteria and brought her a cup of coffee.

"So, how did your emergency play out?" the Allen matriarch said while taking a small sip of her coffee.

"Well, fortunately the patient is stable right now, a metal pole had hit her abdomen, but thankfully it avoided all critical organs,"

Nora made a face at that, "Wow, sounds like it was something serious,"

"It was, but she is okay now," thankfully, she got to the hospital just in time.

The conversation died down for a little and Caitlin wasn't even sure why Nora was here. How did she know which hospital she worked for? In any case, Nora didn't let her continue with her musings.

"The wedding is at three today and the official reception at seven,"

Caitlin hid her face in the coffee cup and took a small and slow sip of the brown liquid. Of course that was why she had come to see her...the real question was, why was the wedding still going on? There was no way, just no way, that Barry and Iris…

"You'll be there, right sweetie?"

Caitlin blinked fast and re-focused on Nora, "I'll...I'll try my best to be there, my shift isn't over and I, well, I don't know how functional I'll be," while that was in part true, the real reason why she was trying to avoid the West-Thawne wedding was because she simply could not conceive that Barry and Iris would do that to Eddie. There was also this tiny (or rather enormous) part of her that felt hurt and resentful, but she didn't have a reason to be. Really, she didn't. If anyone were to feel hurt it should be Eddie and not her. Besides it wasn't like she was in love with Barry. She internally scoffed. She loved him, sure...but wasn't in love with him. Really!

Nora didn't know the background or the details, but she could read the turmoil in Caitlin's eyes. "You know Caitlin, it's okay to give yourself a chance,"

"Huh?" The doctor wasn't sure what Nora was talking about.

Nora smiled slightly, "I'd like for the both of us to come clean with each other,"

"I'm not sure I follow,"

Nora set her cup gently on the table, "Why do you…" she stopped herself and tried to rephrase her question, she needed to be as tactful as possible, "Let me start from the beginning. My son likes you,"

"No he doesn't," she said automatically.

Nora giggled, "Oh he does, a lot more than you can imagine,"

Caitlin resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She wasn't about to tell Nora that Barry and Iris were kissing just moments before she left the Allen residence. "He might, just not in the way that you may think,"

Nora hid a secretive smile. Denial, what an obvious defense mechanism, "If you say so, darling," after a beat she added, "We may not agree on Barry's feelings, but what about you Caitlin? What about _your_ feelings?"

The young doctor looked away, "He's a good friend," she said with a small voice.

"Is that all there is?"

"Yes,"

"Really? Because I've been married for over thirty years and the way you look at Barry is the same way I look at Henry," the matriarch laced her hands in front of her and rested her chin on them, giving the doctor a teasing smile. "And I can tell you what that look means: it is the look of unadulterated adoration and love, believe me, I would know,"

Despite how tired Caitlin was, she couldn't disguise the pink blush that came to her cheeks, "That's not it at all,"

Nora resisted a giggle, "You tell yourself that," she said softly, as she sat back in her chair, changing her demeanor to the serious one Caitlin had seen only once before, "Could you tell me about your parents?"

Caitlin blinked in confusion. Where was did this come from? It wasn't in her nature to be on the offensive and yet she wasn't sure she was going to like where this was going. "Why?" she ended up asking.

Nora stared at her, this wouldn't be easy, but she'd heard from Barry that Caitlin's parents had passed away when she was younger. Sure he didn't give them much detail, out of respect for the doctor but Barry's hesitance at broaching the subject had tipped Nora off that there was a lot more to their passing than one would think. "It's obviously none of my business," she saw the doctor bite her lip, but she pressed on, "but I think that…" she stopped for mere seconds, this wasn't her place at all. However, even if Caitlin and Barry _didn't_ end up together (which she highly doubted) this was a hurdle that Caitlin shouldn't avoid any longer. Call her crazy, but during the days that Nora saw her son and the doctor together, it was hard for her to wrap her head around them actually _not_ being together. Sure, her son was in part to blame for it too, but she believed the true barrier came from Caitlin simply closing herself off to the possibility of Barry and her being anything other than friends. "Maybe you need some closure to that chapter of your life and open your heart to a wonderful experience,"

"Nora I...I'm not sure what you want me to tell you,"

"Anything," Nora smiled encouragingly.

Caitlin let out a drawn out sigh, she was too beat to put up resistance, and to be frank she wanted to open up to someone. She had always put up a strong mask for everyone else, and while she was able to open up to Barry over several things, even her issues with her parents...she quickly closed herself off and changed the subject, not letting him even touch on the issue, but selfishly taking advantage of his warmth and friendship.

"My parents," she gave a small smile, "they were good parents. Always there for me and encouraging me, at least in the beginning," a faraway look came to her, "my dad was my best friend, we would do everything together," she was a big tomboy growing up.

"That's lovely," Nora said sincerely. "What about your mom?"

The doctor hesitated, "She was a good mom until…"

"Until…?"

 _Caitlin was just returning from middle school and was so excited to show her parents her awards in math and science. Once she entered the door her big grin turned into a concerned frown as she heard her parents argue in the kitchen._

" _Let me help you," her mother cried._

" _I can do this alone!" her father said in anger and as Caitlin hid next to the kitchen door she saw her father's hand shake incessantly to the point where he couldn't hold the spoon anymore. He got so frustrated he ended up throwing the plate and the spoon fiercely._

" _See? I told you to let me help you," her mother said as she picked up the items and attempted to clean the now dirty floor._

 _Her father let out a frustrated growl and went out the back door to their yard._

 _Her award certificate was all but forgotten on the floor and she headed to her room. Things were changing and yet, when she met her parents for supper they acted their part as a happy married couple - that they clearly_ _ **weren't**_ _._

 _Another year passed and her father's condition worsened. He was no longer able to keep the facade in front of his daughter and they finally came clean to her. She thought things would get better since they didn't have to pretend anymore in front of her….that wasn't the case._

 _While her father tried his hardest to be self sufficient despite his motor abilities worsening by the second and his immune system failing him, her mother always made things worse. Her incessant worrying and condescending tone towards him every time he tried to do things on his own, drove him away further and further from his wife. Long gone were those romantic gestures and fun loving smiles Caitlin remembered during her childhood. All she saw now was disdain and disappointment in his eyes, and an unhealthy obsession on her mother's clear blue orbs._

 _As the years went by, things only got worse. Her mother barely paid any attention to her anymore, focusing only on her father, whether he liked it or not. It didn't matter what Caitlin did, nothing was important enough for her mother to even notice her. On the other hand, her father, her hero...he was unrecognizable and fragile looking. His illness eating away at his liveliness, and yet he still found ways to make his little girl feel special and recognized. Even when he couldn't speak he would tell her one way or another how proud he was of her. When he no longer could control the tremors in his body, he still found a way to scribble, barely legibly:_ _ **You are the best daughter**_ _._ _ **I love you.**_

 _The last time she saw him, he gave her a soft kiss on her forehead and told her how much he loved her, in short and choppy breaths. She was the last one to see him alive, something that her mother hated. When her mother arrived moments later she went hysterical and practically accused her of killing him in her hysteria, but then collected herself and apologized. Still, that accusation stung a seventeen-year old caitlin to the core._

 _She knew things would be hard for her mother, even harder than they would be for her, because to an extent, she had been preparing for this the moment they told her her father was ill. Not that it was any comfort, but she was happy her father wouldn't be suffering any more, and in her memory, he remained the strong man that would take her to baseball games and sneak her out of trouble when her mother got upset._

 _She just didn't know how hard things would really get._

 _Every day her mother would cook her father's favorite dish, and despite having held a funeral no less than days before, she insisted her father would be home for supper. When two weeks had passed, she told her mother to get help, but her mother refused to listen and called_ _ **her**_ _crazy. Almost three months had passed after her father's death and her mother wasn't any better. By this point Caitlin had gotten so fed up with the situation that the umpteenth time her mother said her father would be home soon, she lost it._

" _He's not coming back!"_

 _Her mother looked at her horrified._

" _He was tired of you! I'm glad he's at peace now! You were the one that killed him every day!" With her constant mothering and making him seem helpless she hurt him more than anything else._

 _Her mother was crying buckets, but more than sadness she was enraged, "What do you know!? He was MY everything! I loved him! I loved him! I…" She choked on her sobs but kept repeating those words._

 _Caitlin cried too. She cried her heart out and when she tried to get close to her mother, for mutual comfort she brushed her away. This was as much as her heart could take that day and Caitlin gathered her coat and left for the evening. She wanted to be away from mom. She wanted solace and peace. She wanted comfort, but knew there was no one for her to rely on, and slowly her heart began to create that last wall of ice that was missing. She didn't want to be hurt anymore…_

 _She came back a few hours later and the sight that met her was unforgiving. Her house was surrounded by cops, firefighters, and even an ambulance. When she headed to the door the cops tried to stop her but she said she lived there and showed them her ID as proof._

" _What happened? Where's my mom?"_

 _The cops shared a knowing look between them and one of them began, "Miss, I'm sorry but -"_

" _No…" this couldn't be happening this was a terrible nightmare. She probably was still asleep at the library, "No, please…" tears she thought were over, began to trickle down again._

" _I'm sorry," the officer said as he removed his cap in respect._

 _She rushed passed them to the second floor where her mother's bedroom was and just then saw the paramedics pull her mother down._

" _You shouldn't see this," one of the paramedics said softly._

" _She's…"_

 _The paramedic pulled her outside the bedroom. "A child should never see their parent like this," as he pulled her out he handed her a crumpled piece of paper. "She...she had this when we found her,"_

 _Even in her stunned state, Caitlin opened the paper…_

 _ **Dear Caity,**_

 _ **I'm sorry...sorry for everything. I don't even know how much I hurt you these past few years, or today. But this isn't the life I was promised. I loved your father….I love him. I love him so much and he needs me. Or I need him? It doesn't make a difference anymore.**_

 _ **You're strong, and have always been independent. Now you'll have another burden off your shoulders.**_

 _ **Please don't hate me. Just let me be happy...with him.**_

 _ **Thank you,**_

 _ **Mom**_

 _Even in mom's last moments she couldn't even think about her only daughter. All that was in her mind was her unhealthy and sinnister love for her father. It wasn't fair. Life wasn't fair. But she didn't want to cry anymore._

 _In a stark contrast with her father's passing, this time she didn't have beautiful memories of mom. It'd been far too long since she stopped existing in her mother's eyes and despite her better judgement she resented her for so long._

 _As she tore her mother's last words apart, she vowed to herself to never fall in love. Love, the romantic kind, was dangerous. She wouldn't do this to herself. She wouldn't fall in that trap. Love stories and fairy tales were only to exist in books and movies. She didn't need any of that in her life._

 _She cleaned up her tears and walked away. She'd been alone a long time, now reality had caught up to the charade._

 _Now she was truly alone._

"That is the last memory I have of my mother,"

Nora stayed quiet processing the information. Caitlin had come a long way from all the loss and disappointment in her life. It was a miracle she hadn't gone deep end herself. Now she understood why Caitlin was so closed off to the idea of romance. She was afraid, no, she was _terrified_ of the concept. However, Nora knew that there was still hope and Caitlin could have her chance at happiness. Despite all the hurt, she had opened herself to new friendships, Barry and Cisco were living proof of that. She even had the heart to open up to _her_ , even when Caitlin didn't know her. Even when the doctor should resent mother figures, she had opened up to her without reservation. This only proved that Caitlin's ability to love was immense. Quite frankly, it was purer and more sincere than a lot of affection Nora had witnessed throughout the years.

"Not the best conversation topic, huh?" Caitlin said in a dry attempt to lighten the situation.

Nora shook her head, "Thank you Caitlin, it must've been very hard for you to share that," she said as she slowly made her way to the doctor's shaking hands. Unbeknownst to Caitlin, her eyes were glistening with unshed tears. "It must have been very painful for you to hold this in for so long, but you don't have to carry that pain any longer," she brushed a stubborn tear from Caitlin's cheek, meanwhile shedding a handful herself.

"It's time to let go. Let go of that pain, find your own happiness,"

Caitlin was about to say something but Nora continued.

"Know, that what you saw and what you lived was not true love. Love is a wonderful thing, it's not perfect, but it is not what your mother believed either." She squeezed the doctor's hand gently, "We are not in a place to judge her actions, but don't rob yourself of your own chance at happiness,"

"Nora, I...I don't know if I _want_ to take that chance,"

The Allen matriarch nodded slowly, "I understand why you wouldn't, but sweetie, you deserve to be happy too, I'm sure your father would've wanted that, and even if I'm not your mother, I want that for you too," Nora moved her chair closer to the doctor and gave her a tight and reassuring hug. When she came here today she could not have imagined how things would turn out. This was far beyond playing matchmaker to her adorable nerds. This was about helping a wonderful girl open her heart to happiness. She needed to let go of the pain and hurt that had been haunting her for so long. Caitlin's reservations made sense, but she need not be afraid anymore, because Nora knew that the moment Caitlin gave herself the chance to be happy, wholeheartedly happy.

She would be.

And that day couldn't come soon enough.

{-}

Barry was pacing like a caged animal. Why was Caitlin not returning his calls? Sure things would get crazy at the hospital sometimes, but she must've had a few minutes to talk to him right, right?

"Bar, when you stop acting like a caged lion could you help me with the hairpiece?" Iris called from a few feet away as the make up artist was applying the finished touches on her face.

"What? Oh, yeah," he looked at his phone again and made sure the ring tone was at the highest volume.

"I take it you haven't heard from Caitlin since yesterday?" She teased. Really Barry was such a worry-wart.

"What if something happened to her?" He began to panic. He hadn't thought about that, but it was a possibility.

Iris giggled and rolled her eyes, "Come on Bar, you're reaching here. In case you don't know doctors get VERY busy, maybe she hasn't seen your 538 messages and 879 phone calls,"

Barry scoffed, "It was only 125 messages and 227 phone calls Iris, don't exaggerate,"

The makeup artist struggle not to chuckle, but Iris did, loudly. "Are you hearing yourself?"

Barry glared at the both of them. Just then her mother walked in with a blue pin.

"Your something new and something blue just arrived," Nora said in a sing song voice.

"Ugh! You're the best Nora," Iris squealed.

As Nora adjusted Iris' new accessory and hairpiece (Barry had done a terrible job at best), she noticed her son's demeanor, "What's got him so worked up?" she asked the bride.

"Who else? Caitlin,"

Nora giggled softly.

"Not you too!" Barry whined.

"I just talked to her earlier today," Nora said and Barry rushed to her side in a second.

"You did? What did she say?" He tried to act suave but everyone in the room knew he was anything but.

"Well…" Nora trailed off, but quickly ended her teasing to deliver some bad news, "she won't be able to make it Iris, but she did tell me to send her congratulations to the bride and groom and that she was sorry she wouldn't be able to be here,"

"Why?" Barry said surprised and utterly sad at the news.

"Work. She pulled an overnight shift and she still needed to do time at the hospital as far as I know, you know how it is when they are short staffed," both of them knew all too well since Dr. Allen had pulled many of those crazy shifts over the years.

"Oh," was all Barry could say.

Iris was sad too. She hadn't been the best to Caitlin these past few days and wanted to make amends. It was funny how it all started for them, and she did owe her an apology...she hoped she would see her soon. "You think she might make it to the reception?"

"Let's hope,"

Was all Nora said as she placed the veil where it rightfully belonged and led the bride outside.

{-}

Eddie was a nervous wreck, even if his exterior showed otherwise. Just yesterday Iris and him had a long discussion about their future and she gave him a heartfelt apology for her behavior this past week. She had been honest with him and told him why she had acted that way with Barry. She felt guilty for never apologizing and breaking Barry's heart without a second thought and she wanted, _needed_ , that closure. Despite her odd behavior, Eddie always remained her priority and she couldn't see her future without him, so if he would have her, she'd like to become Iris West-Thawne tomorrow. She even said, she was willing to be Iris Thawne if that made things better. He was tempted, but thought better of it. He was honest with her too and told her he _had_ felt that distance between them and her unusual behavior towards the CSI, and yet he was willing to let her go if the CSI was her happiness.

Iris, however, kissed him senseless and told him without a shadow of doubt that _he_ was the only man who could make her happy.

And that was how he ended up where he was, waiting for his bride to make her grandiose entry. He saw Barry take his place on the bride's side and saw certain sadness there. He briefly wondered if it was because his first love was getting married to someone else. Nevertheless, when Iris made her entrance and looked ethereal to the detective he took a smallest glimpse towards the CSI and saw that his mind wasn't at the wedding, he hadn't even turned to look at Iris. His mind was somewhere else entirely, and Eddie realized that his head (and heart) where with the absent doctor.

Neither Eddie or Iris paid attention to the Man of Honor after she made her way next to the groom, focusing instead on each other. This was the happiest day of their lives and they had waited an awfully long time to take this final step. They didn't even pay attention to the guests, much more focused on each other's smiles and adoring gazes.

"Did you ever think we would make it this far?" Iris said with the biggest grin hiding behind the translucent material.

"I knew it, the moment I saw you. You took my heart right then and there," Eddie said sincerely, as he slowly lifted Iris' veil.

"You're such a sap," Iris teased.

"Only for you, Mrs. West-Thawne,"

"And I'm yours, always, Mr. Thawne,"

They both ignored whatever was being said and just kissed each other lovingly. This was their fairy tail after all. It was only fair they wrote their own fantasy.

Barry, having put his turmoil aside, took the opportunity to snap a picture of the loving couple in front of him. This would make for a great gift later.

{-}

The reception was in full bloom with over a hundred guests gathered. Iris had just had her father-daughter dance and was moving on to dance with her now-husband. Everything was perfect. Eddie looked at her even more lovingly than before -she wasn't even sure that was possible. She was also certain that she looked at him with the same love and devotion, ready to take on this new challenge -together.

Somehow this week was all but a blur to her. Everything leading up to this moment. She didn't even know why she let silly thoughts cloud her better judgement, but it wouldn't happen again. She was ready to give herself fully to Eddie, and she wouldn't have it any other way.

Meanwhile, Barry sat in the corner observing the happy couple and the other guests that began to make their way to the dance floor. He still felt a little hurt that Caitlin had talked with his mom when she didn't make the time for him. He would give wistful looks to the door hoping against hope that she would show up to the reception. Even in her white coat and a messy bun she would manage to look beautiful.

To him anyway.

"You're about to burn a hole through that door son," his father came to take a seat by his side. "Why don't you dance a little? I know you really like it,"

Barry shrugged, "I don't really feel like dancing," there was no one he wanted to dance with, the only person he wanted to embrace wasn't there.

"Oh is that Caitlin I see?" His father looked in the direction of the entrance with wide eyes.

Barry immediately got up from his chair and a silly grin spread through his face. Hope had been restored. When his eyes turned to entrance again, there was no one in sight. "Dad!"

"What? It was just a joke," his dad laughed.

"It wasn't funny," Barry grumbled and crossed his arms around his chest.

"You should've seen your face," Henry continued to chuckle. His son was so transparent.

"Yeah, whatever," he frowned.

Henry cleared his throat in an effort to stop the laughing, "Okay, now that I got a good laugh we can get serious here,"

Barry raised an skeptical eyebrow.

"Why don't you go see her?" Henry said in all seriousness.

"What?" the CSI said in a high pitch. Totally not what he intended.

"Seriously son, you should go see her, anyone with eyes can tell that you're _dying_ to see her...more so than usual, you love sick puppy," Henry couldn't help but tease.

"Dad!" Barry scolded. "It's not like that...besides, today's Iris' big day, I can't just leave," he reasoned.

Henry smiled, "Look at her, I'm sure she won't even notice you're gone,"

"But…"

Henry interjected, "You could make up an excuse now...or you can go after what you really want,"

He looked at his dad and then to the door, when he noticed a string of auburn disappearing out of sight. Whether he imagined it or it was real, that was the last push he needed to go after what his heart truly desired.

"You know dad...I always wondered how you and mom always knew the right thing to say," he grabbed his jacket and before he jogged away said "I hope it's something you both passed on to me," because there was a lot he needed to say to his favorite doctor. Without hesitation he ran out the door to take a chance and go after his happiness.

He had made Caitlin wait long enough and he was tired of putting up nonexistent walls between them. He wanted to be happy, and he knew...that she was his happiness.

{-}

Today had definitely taken a toll on her. She was running on zero hours of sleep and had been awake for over thirty-six hours. Whether she had plans to attend or not, she wasn't able to go the the West-Thawne wedding, having been dismissed at 3:30, that day.

When she got home she threw her keys on the table and dropped herself on her bed. She thought back on the beginning of the week and how things had been progressing. Things had spun out of control before they even began. She even thought back on those defining moments with Barry throughout the years. There were so many times where they could have taken a leap of faith, but neither was willing.

But what was left? Barry had feelings for Iris as far as she knew...how Iris _still_ ended up marrying Eddie after what she saw yesterday was beyond her. Maybe she should just move to Star City and leave it at that...which was the cowardly thing to do, but did she have the guts to put her heart on the line, even when her chances of success were abysmal?

With one last sigh she surrendered to sleep, troubling thoughts would still be here once she woke up.

After two hours of sleep she woke up with a headache. She saw the digital clock marking 6:03PM. She smiled ruefully to herself, this was fate's way of saying that she had to deal this matter pronto. She headed towards her shower not before opening up the gift bag that Nora had left at the reception area for her.

 _ **Dear Cait,**_

 _ **The choice is yours. I believe in you, you should too.**_

 _ **With Love,  
Nora**_

Inside the bag there was a pale pink princess dress. How Nora managed to know her exact size and taste was a mystery to her.

Caitlin smiled.

{-}

She arrived at the reception hall, where she and Barry had kissed a few days ago but before she had the courage to open the door, she peeked just a bit to find her Barry slumped over the chair. The sight alone, broke her resolve. He looked hurt as he eyed the gleaming couple and in that instant her heart broke with him. He probably had taken the wedding in stride but his sadness was evident in her eyes and he couldn't disguise his pain anymore.

Barry still loved Iris.

She turned away hiding from the door , she couldn't do this. Caitlin squeezed her eyes shut and ran.

She was a coward after all.

{-}

 _What's Love Got to do With It?_

" _Are you in position?" Barry called from his walkie-talkie._

" _Yes, in position on stand-by," Caitlin said, "but why do we have to use walkie-talkies if we are right next to each other?"_

 _Barry sighed, "It's part of the operation: Golden Vibe. Let's stick to it Cait,"_

" _Right," she nodded. She still didn't understand why they were standing outside of the Karaoke bar instead of being inside with Cisco and Lisa, but she would follow Barry's lead since he knew the engineer best. "So what is it that I have to do again?"_

" _We observe and intervene when necessary,"_

" _Yeah, you said that, but how do I know what to do?" She was not someone that went out much or knew about these types of things._

 _Barry straighten up and scratched the back of his head. Cisco was usually the better planner."Good question, I guess we'll just know," and then a thought occurred to him, "how did you know what to do when I was on my date with Linda?"_

" _Oh that," she placed her index finger under her chin, "well, I got the idea from some foreign soap operas I saw on TV,"_

" _You watch those?" That didn't seem like something she would do._

 _She shrugged, "I like international entertainment,"_

" _Okay...so what would your TV shows tell you to do right now?"_

" _Well, Hispanic entertainment would say to go in and make one of them jealous so the other would pay attention,"_

 _Barry thought about it, but as attractive as the golden girl was, it was against the bro code. Besides, he didn't think it would work. On the other hand, if Caitlin went inside to flirt with Cisco it could be weird. He made a face at that. "Let's try something else,"_

" _Well some forms of Asian entertainment, would suggest we give them a little push," She suggested._

" _A push?"_

" _Yes. You know, create the perfect setting for them. For example, someone_ _ **casually**_ _bumping into them to bring them closer, and that sort of thing,"_

 _Barry nodded, "That would work,"_

" _Alright, but before we get to that, we're going to need a disguise,"_

 _Barry wasn't sure he was going to like this, but he put no resistance as the girl led him to a costume store a few feet away. They went inside and emerged as completely different people. Barry was sporting a styled dark haired wig, dark jeans and a black leather jacket, with black sunglasses despite it being night time. Caitlin, on the other hand, was wearing a platinum blonde wig, tight denim jeans, and a plaid shirt. To further her disguise, she had asked one of the girls at the counter if she could do her makeup, effectively making the 'cat-eye' look her own._

" _Okay, disguise, check," she said._

" _And what was the purpose of this exactly?" he scratched his head not being used to the wig._

" _We can't let Cisco know we're helping, I don't think he would be happy about us interfering with his date,"_

" _Good point,"_

 _As they entered the bar, Barry noticed that curious eyes turned to them, or rather Caitlin, so he placed a hand on her waist and led her to the opposite side of where Lisa and Cisco where seated._

" _What are you doing?" She asked him. They'd only met for a little over a year and wasn't sure this was something friends would do._

" _It's all part of the plan," he said without looking at her._

 _She gave him one last glance but continued the charade anyway._

 _Barry and Caitlin observed the couple a few feet away, noticing how they talked animatedly and both suppressed a giggle when they saw Cisco attempt to act like a ladies man. It seems things were going well even without their intervention._

 _Suddenly a server went to their table and blocked their view of the target._

" _Can we help you?" Barry asked._

" _But of course," the girl said with a cheshire grin, "you've been chosen as our singers to open up the night!"_

 _The lights suddenly turned to them, literally putting them in the spotlight and Barry's cheeks began to get warm in embarrassment._

" _I don't think that's a good idea," Caitlin said calmly._

" _No worries, we're not here to judge," the server said with a wink and pulled them both out of their seats._

" _Uhm, I'm not a good singer," the future doctor said as a matter of fact._

" _No need to be an expert,"_

" _Barry?" Caitlin turned to her friend for support._

 _He looked around and noticed that Cisco was looking at them. He quickly turned towards Caitlin and took part of her platinum tresses to cover part of his face. Their identities had been compromised, "Let's just roll with it, please,"_

" _Okay," They had been warmed._

" _And our Karaoke machine choose, drumroll please!" After a small pause, "Summer Nights!"_

" _Uhm, I don-" but before the platinum haired girl finished the song began._

" _Just follow my lead," Barry said reassuringly. "Summer Lovin' had me a blast," he then motioned Caitlin to continue the next part._

 _Here went nothing, she gathered her courage and sang, "Summer lovin' happened so fast,"_

" _I met a girl crazy for me,"_

" _Met a boy, cute as can be,"_

 _She probably sounded awful, but Barry's encouraging smile never left him, and in turn that made Caitlin sing with confidence._

" _Summer days driftin' away, uh-ah oh those summer nights,"_

" _Wooo-kay, thank you for opening up the night, you may go now," the bar girl that had initially invited them, she shooed them away. "No randoms, next time," she muttered under her breath._

 _Barry led Caitlin down the stairs, "Well that wasn't so bad,"_

" _Say that for yourself, you have an amazing voice," her on the other hand, it was like hearing screeching cats._

" _Cait you weren't that bad," he said with a trademarked Barry smile._

 _She resisted the urge to roll her eyes, "We were probably kicked out of the stage because I wasn't_ _ **that**_ _bad,"_

 _He laughed. "On the bright side, it doesn't seem like we were discovered," he turned their attention to Cisco and Lisa._

 _The couple was laughing away and Lisa had gotten close to the future engineer whispering something in his ear that made him blush._

" _Perhaps we are not needed?" Caitlin asked, seeing that the golden girl gave Cisco her undivided attention._

" _Perhaps," Barry mumbled._

" _Should we leave?" She asked._

 _Before Barry had the time to answer the bartender said, "Costume Night is next week,"_

 _Barry and Caitlin shared a funny look and then bursted out laughing as they walked out of the bar. "I guess we weren't that convincing as undercover agents, huh?" He said while smiling at the girl._

" _Our skills might use some work, but not as much as our singing," she said with a matching smile as she gently pulled off his wig and started brushing his brown locks to the side. "This style suits you best,"_

 _It felt like an eternity for Barry as Caitlin smoothly put his hair in place. Somehow, everything else disappeared for those seconds and he just stared at her. There was something about Caitlin that always made his heart skip a beat. Not in a romantic way...really not like that...but he still felt comfortable around her. He felt like he was home._

 _Once she was done, she started to pull away but Barry's hand quickly shot up and held hers to the side of his face._

" _Barry?" she questioned softly._

 _He stared at her a bit more and she looked at him with those innocent and inquisitive brown eyes._

 _As if coming to his senses he took a step back and let go, "Sorry about that, it felt nice - I MEAN, it was nice, yeah, yeah," he took turned around and took a calming breath, "What I mean is, that it was nice of you to fix my hair, thank you" seriously, what the heck was wrong with him? Every now and then he started to act like a mumbling fool in front of her, and for the life of him he just didn't understand why._

 _Caitlin blinked slowly and bumped his shoulder lightly, "Thank_ _ **you**_ _, for making our adventures memorable and fun," she took a few steps ahead and realized that Barry wasn't following, as she turned her head to him time froze for the future CSI._

 _With the streetlights illuminating the girl's platinum hair, her smiling eyes, and that aura of intellect and innocence, she looked just like an angel._

" _Are you coming?"_

" _Yes," he said without hesitation. Whatever the reason for his occasional fumbling, Barry still felt fortunate to have met the auburn haired girl._

 _Cisco smiled at his friends who disappeared from sight. Surely, they thought up a scheme to bring him together with his long time crush. Probably something silly, if they had to dress up. He recognized him the moment they stepped in the bar. Ah, he was rubbing off on those two, a job well done, but if that little interaction they had right outside the bar meant anything, those two were in for a big surprise._

 _Meanwhile the art major walked back and took her seat in front of him._

" _What's got you smiling?" she asked._

 _Cisco shook his head, "Do you believe in destiny?"_

" _Is this a prelude to a cheesy pick-up line of yours?" she asked with a glint in her eyes._

 _Cisco laughed, "Do you want it to be?" he wiggled his eyebrows._

 _The girl smirked and laced her hands behind his neck, "Oh just shut up and kiss me,"_

 _He didn't have a chance to answer by the time the golden girl laid one on him. He wasn't complaining._

 _As they kissed away a fleeting thought crossed through Cisco's mind, his two friends were not as bright is he thought if they couldn't figured out that he'd been dating the girl for over a month now._

 _Oh those dorks…._

{X}

 _And here it is my friends. This one took much longer to publish, but I didn't want to do put it out there until I was satisfied with the flow, and I still have my reservations on the flashback. In any case, I hope you were able to take a few tidbits and understand our lovable Dr. Snow. Oh and Barry…isn't he just cute!_

 _This one was a little sad, but I wanted to end it on a good note. Now brace yourselves for what's coming…I can't resist, here's a snippet –_

" _ **Barry, wha...what are you doing here?" she hoped her voice didn't sound as fragile as she felt.**_

 _ **He ignored her question, "I've been looking for you everywhere," he said seriously, taking a few steady breaths in.**_

" _ **I'm sorry, I...another emergency came up and I had to leave, I was going to hospital right now," the stupid tears weren't stopping.**_

" _ **Don't lie to me Cait," he said softly while walking a few steps ahead. "We don't lie to each other,"**_

 _A send hugs and kisses to everyone who took the time to read, favorite, follow, and of course, review this story. A special thanks to our several **Guests, Katelin, Randompasserby, Awesomeness2502, Idkaname,** AND:_

 _ **Maya**_ _: I tell you Snowbarry will be the death of me, but I just love them so much. I enjoyed the cuddle *cue evil grin* because I can totally see them get flustered over it. As for your guesses for what happened with Iris…well…I'm going to leave you guessing my friend. I couldn't include the set up portion as you laid it out, but it inspired me to do this one, another spinoff of our favorite Karaoke scene._

 _ **PurpleYin**_ _: Loved your review and agree on all accounts. It warms my heart that you caught on to all the little nuggets and cameos thrown in there. Initially I hadn't thought about including Henry and Nora as much, but they really influence Barry's actions and beliefs, as you so cleverly pointed out._

 _Let me know what you think about the new chapter ;)_

 _ **Shadow9841**_ _: Good guess…but that will all be unveiled in our next chapter. Ugh, I'm with you with the Nora and Henry (Nenry?) relationship. They're goals._

 _ **Augustthippie1993**_ _: Awww, the Caitlin/Nora interactions are some of my favorite to write. Nora is pretty smart, and that was evident in this chapter too. I most definitely agree on the chemistry you mention. Seriously, I've never seen Iris happier than when she was with Eddie, and don't get me started on the SnowBarry moments._

 _You humble me, I'm just an amateur that writes for fun, but thank you._

 _ **Jdcocoagirl**_ _: To be frank I had consider Barry running after her BUT…trust me on this one, you're going to enjoy their coming together all the more, when the time comes._


	9. Interlude

**T**

Next chapter will be posted this weekend (potentially the last), but you must, MUST, listen to Henry Lau's song _"It's you,"_ to truly enjoy it.

That was the song that inspired this all my friends, and I'd like to share that sentiment of Love and _the right moment_ with all of you who have been with me throughout this journey.

Until next time.

Love,

Kim


	10. Chapter 9

_**.**_

 _ **.**_

 _ **.**_

 _ **Great Possibilities**_

 _It's You_

She hadn't had the strength to face him. How could she? How was she supposed to tell him that she loved him? She loved him in _that_ way –as much as she tried to deny it. She couldn't tell him. She simply couldn't, it would ruin everything. She turned away from the bustling dance hall and ran as fast as she could muster. She wasn't as brave as Nora believed her to be.

How ironic that she realized she loved Barry, just after she experienced heartbreak. She could lie all she wanted and say that there were no feelings there, but she would be fooling herself. She couldn't keep up the façade in front of Nora...and she didn't want to keep it up anymore. She remembered those times where she'd get the tiniest bit jealous when Barry went off on his Iris talks, but she brushed it off as a minor annoyance because of the repetitiveness of the topic.

She shook her head, this was horrible. She hated feeling this way. She needed to go back to the Caitlin that supports Barry in everything. She wasn't to be jealous Caitlin, or selfish Caitlin. Barry and her were just friends and she couldn't ask him for more. It wouldn't be fair to him, when he's been nothing but honest with her.

She let out a heavy sigh. Felicity would never let her hear the end of it. She was right. All this time she was right about her loving him. Even Nora had seen through her right away. She only fooled herself...and hopefully Barry.

With heavy pants, she made it to a place where she felt safe. She rested her back on the big cherry blossom tree that was close to the memorial park she visited often. Her emotions were consuming her. She thought back on their relationship, how they became friends, their closeness, their secrets, all the hugs, the looks, and those few but memorable kisses. Those were some of her favorite memories and that's all they would ever be.

Without her knowing some stubborn tears were already travelling down her cheeks. She bit her inner cheek trying to stop her crying, but it simply didn't work.

She loved him, she really did.

What a bittersweet revelation that turned out to be.

The moments that passed seemed endless and yet not long enough, and just as she was trying to gain some composure she heard a voice.

"Caitlin," she heard Barry huff a few feet away from her. Her head snapped up to see him. He was catching his breath, it seemed like he had been running for a long time.

At the sight, she panicked and wiped her eyes furiously turning around and giving her back to him. She couldn't let him see her this way.

"Barry, wha...what are you doing here?" she hoped her voice didn't sound as fragile as she felt.

He ignored her question, "I've been looking for you everywhere," he said seriously, taking a few steady breaths in.

"I'm sorry, I... another emergency came up and I had to leave, I was going to hospital right now," the stupid tears weren't stopping.

"Don't lie to me Cait," he said softly while taking a few steps ahead. "We don't lie to each other,"

She felt him get closer and her heart began to race, "Stop,"

He did.

"Please don't come any closer," she almost begged him. She couldn't let him see her like that, so unlike the Caitlin he knew.

"Can you look at me?" He asked softly.

She shook her head, "I can't. Not right now,"

"Okay," he needed to get through to her somehow. "I spoke with Iris yesterday," he started. He really needed to tell her this.

 _More like he kissed Iris yesterday_ , Caitlin thought to herself. "That's good,"

"And I realized something," he took a tentative step closer.

She really didn't want to hear how madly in love he was with Iris right now.

He took another step, "I realized that even as she was in front of me, there was somewhere else I wanted to be," he took his final step and was right behind her, " _someone_ else I wanted to be with,"

Caitlin's heart skipped a beat and her eyes snapped shut. "Please Barry, don't lie to me," she told him just as he had called her out earlier. She took one step ahead and was ready to run walk away, she wasn't sure how much her heart could take right now and didn't want to find out.

Barry anticipated this reaction and quickly grabbed her hand, "I have no reason to lie to you," he said softly.

She wanted to struggle, she wanted to put up a fight and flee, but she didn't. She wasn't like this. She faced problems head on, and she had to do that this time as well, as painful as it was... "All your life, you've been in love with Iris, and now that she's married there's someone else? Really Barry?" He needed to be more convincing.

Caitlin wasn't pulling away wildly like he thought, "Can you look at me?" he asked her again even more softly than before.

Caitlin thought about it momentarily. By now he probably knew she was crying anyway. She slowly turned around. "You can let go now, I won't run away,"

He let go of her hand but slowly raised his hands to wipe her tears away and left them holding each side of her face, "I kinda don't want to," he said with a smile as he softly caressed her cheeks.

She couldn't help but smile back.

"What you said earlier, about me loving Iris you weren't wrong Cait,"

And with that her smile died away.

"I loved her for a long time," he said, and Caitlin's eyes began to drop, "but I didn't realize when I _stopped_ loving her,"

That surprised her. Never in all her years of knowing him had he ever denied loving the journalist.

"We were young and I thought she would be my forever. When she left me for New York, my whole world crumbled, but," he paused and softly lifted her face to meet her beautiful hazel eyes, those he simply adored, "you came into my life and it was the most wonderful thing that has ever happened to me,"

"Barry," she wanted to tell him that he had been a blessing in her life too. A life that had been too bleak before him.

He placed a finger on her lips, "Please let me finish, before I lose my nerve and make a fool of myself,"

The doctor nodded.

"All these years that I've been," he didn't want to say it, but he had to, " _pinning_ after Iris, were probably the best years of my life,"

Caitlin raised an eyebrow. What did that even mean?

"That didn't come out right, did it?" he grinned sheepishly, "What I meant was, that all those years, you were there with me and you have no idea how much you mean to me Cait," he took a deep breath, "Actually, many times I went to complain about Iris, were because I really wanted to see you," yeah, he'd never told her that before, but it was true. Sometimes it was hard for him to come up with excuses to see her just for the sake of seeing her. So he resorted to pulling out his Iris-card because he knew (and he knew this well) that Caitlin would be there for him if she thought he was feeling sad over his lost love.

"I love everything about you. How you overly think every little thing, how you're so selfless and caring. The way that you do that thing with your lips when you're worried. I love the way you smile at me and that special spark in your eyes when you are doing something you enjoy," this was it...it was now or never, "I didn't know that when I met you I couldn't keep myself from falling…"

Her eyes searched his relentlessly, and her erratic heartbeat was growing louder and louder in her hears, could it be…?

His words lingered in the air and he looked at her expectant eyes wishing to convey all these feelings to her.

"Caitlin Snow, I've fallen head over heels for you,"

"Barry…" she whispered in between her tears. This moment was the moment she wasn't even aware she'd been waiting for all her life.

"It wasn't just now, or this week," because after much soul searching he knew that these feelings weren't new developments for him, "I've been falling in love with you all these years. Each and every day I've been falling a little harder I was just too blind to see it,"

She had been blind too, for a very, very long time.

"Sometimes _**great possibilities**_ are right in front of us and we don't see them because we choose not to," he gave her a heart melting smile, those that she loved so much, "I think that we need to be open to exploring something new, something wonderful, especially with the person we love most," he lowered his head but stopped just an inch away from her lips. "Don't you?"

She didn't even have to think about his question. Nora was right. It was time she seized her chance at happiness. She stepped on the tip of her toes and met his lips. This time neither had to ask what the other was doing or why. This time they both knew exactly what they were doing, they were where they wanted to be, with the person they wanted to be with. A gust of wind riled up their hair but neither paid attention. Instead Barry hugged Caitlin closer and continued to kiss her senseless. He should've done this a long time ago and there was so much to make up for now –he didn't mind one bit. He thought back on all of their adventures throughout the years and slowly started to piece together each interaction that they had and how Caitlin unknowingly healed his heart and stole it at the same time. Every smile, every hug, every time she looked after him, even when she practiced her (developing) cooking skills, all of those times were carved in his memory and his heart. All of those times led them to this moment and he couldn't be more grateful for it.

Caitlin pointedly ignored the rapid beating of her heart. She was truly, madly, deeply, in love with the man in front of her, but never in her wildest dreams she imagined that he loved her. She denied it time and time again, but that small spark of hope didn't evade her. When did she start loving him she wasn't quite sure, but just like he said, it hadn't been today or these last few days. She's loved him for a long, long, time, she just didn't want to accept it. She became an expert at denying their closeness and at shutting down everyone's expectations, because she choose to carefully wrap her feelings under the veil of friendship. She didn't want to expect anything else, lest she became thoroughly disappointed as she had been many times before, by the people she loved most no less. And yet Barry, her Barry, one way or another found himself closer and closer to her heart. Every time he cheered her on, when he made her laugh, how he slowly broke away her icy exterior, all those times Barry unknowingly made his way to her heart. A heart she wasn't even sure she had to give.

Pale pink cherry blossoms were falling like raindrops around them and when the need to breath became overpowering they slowly pulled away, just enough to look at each other.

"It's you," he said, "You're the person I want to be with today, tomorrow, and forever,"

This was it. This was _their_ right time, and this was the right moment.

She looked at him with eyes overflowing with love and adoration, "Barry I…" she needed to be completely honest with him too, "to me, you…" she sighed and tried again. She wasn't shy, time was too limited to beat around the bush and she didn't want to leave anything unsaid, "I love you. And I think back on all of our time together and I've realized that I've loved you for a very long time. I couldn't tell you exactly when," because she wasn't even sure herself.

Barry couldn't be more delighted by her words.

"And for the longest time I wanted to see you as my friend, I didn't want to ruin what we had. You became so important in my life that I...I wasn't sure what would happen if I dared to look at you differently,"

"Caitlin..." so he wasn't the only one that had thought about them being more than friends.

"I actually succeeded in fooling myself into believing that I didn't love you," she smiled ruefully at herself, "to me it didn't matter what others saw," because both of them had heard many people say that they were obviously more than friends, despite their constant denying of those accusations, "and even when you asked me to help you get Iris back, a silly plan by the way," they both smiled at each other, "I couldn't say no, because if there was anything in my power to make you happy, I would do it unquestioningly,"

It was his turn to look at her with green eyes that conveyed devotion and a limitless love.

"What I'm trying to say is, that as scary as this new journey is to me, because you know relationships terrify me," he knew that very well, "I want to...I want to try it, with _you_ ,"

His face broke into a dazzling grin. This moment was perfect and he had the most amazing woman in front of him giving him the opportunity of a lifetime. He knew that part of the reason Caitlin had avoided relationships this long was because she didn't want to end up like her mother. She hated depending on others, although she would allow Barry to see her vulnerable side, which was a great privilege in his opinion.

"Is that a yes to my proposal?" he asked cheekily.

Caitlin blinked in surprise, "Proposal?"

A pink tint colored his cheeks, "Yes. You know the whole 'today, tomorrow, and forever' part? That was me proposing," he always envisioned his proposal to be this amazing spectacle of the _will-you-marry me?_ Written in the sky variety. He was a sap like that, and yet, right this instant he didn't find a reason why they should wait any longer. They knew each other better than most married couples did already. It wouldn't be that much of a stretch, right?

"Oh," her face started to get really warm. Barry just...no...but he just said he did. "Don't you think we are skipping a lot of steps here?" she asked with a curious glint in her eye. Somehow the idea of them, erm, well, _together_ that way, didn't bother her or even scare her as she expected. Of course, this was because it was Barry asking, but she needed to be absolutely sure.

He smiled sideways and cupped her face gently, "I hoped we were just taking a really big one," staring straight into her eyes, he remained silent and observed her, wondering what she would do next. They've known each other for over eight years. He knew her better than anyone in the world and she knew him just as well and now that he was being honest with himself, he could admit that they spent an inordinate amount of time together for people that were just friends. In fact, he could go as far as to say that in many ways they had been dating for a long, long, time considering everything that they've been through together. He knew it in his heart that this was the next logical step in their relationship… If it weren't because this was Iris and Eddie's wedding day, he would have probably just married her on the spot (but she didn't need to know that). He was beyond certain that Dr. Caitlin Snow, was the woman he wanted to spend his forever with. He loved her, he really did.

And it was time she knew that too.

She looked into his eyes for a long moment and saw something there. Something that she had already seen before, many times over the years, but now she knew what it was.

"Yes," she said merely above a whisper but full of certainty. Love was scary, in fact it could be terrifying...she knew a lot about that. However, when she looked at Barry, love became the most wonderful thing in the world. So much so, that despite all her reservations and fears, she felt it in her heart that everything would be okay. It would, because it was Barry by her side. Her Barry, the man that had been with her through thick and thin. The man that would bend over backwards for her happiness and wore his heart on his sleeve. His openness and selfless way of loving was everything Caitlin could ever want and more. Sure, things weren't always peachy and they had their disagreements from time to time and that was okay...because at the end of the day they would overcome any obstacle. She was certain of it.

"Yes?" Barry repeated as if this whole moment was surreal, "Yes!" Okay, there was no need to panic. Really there wasn't any need to panic, because for once everything was perfect. There were no masks and no pretenses. There was just a man who was wildly in love with a woman who loved him just as much.

"Can I kiss you?" She asked him with her adorable big hazel eyes, those that Barry had never been able to deny anything to.

He lowered his head and kissed her instead. Caitlin smiled into their kiss and laced her hands behind his neck carefully pulling him even closer to her.

That look in his eyes, those beautiful green eyes that meant the world to her, told her in no uncertain terms that he loved her. Every time he'd looked at her with those fond and smiling eyes, were him telling her that he loved her. Even when neither of them knew it.

She was also aware that she'd looked at him that way many, many, times in past as well. Nora told her as much.

What everyone else saw...now they saw it too.

{-}

"Mrs. A are you getting this?" Cisco asked as he maneuvered his drone expertly.

"Yes Cisco," she would save this for their wedding day, "You are by far the most intelligent young man I've ever come across,"

Cisco cleared his throat in mild embarrassment, "Anything for you Mrs. A, and can I just say that those two were _way_ overdue,"

"Wait what did I miss?" Felicity asked from her end of the line, "Oh my god, they're kissing! Ollie, come and see this!" she yelled at her husband.

"It was all a matter of timing darling," Nora said with a knowing smile. She knew since the first time she heard her son talk about the girl that she would be a special person in his life.

"Oh and a BIG 'I told you so'," Felicity added with a smug look on her face. As soon as the kissing fest was over she would grill Caitlin over this. She knew this would happen sooner or later and finally her suspicions were confirmed in the best way possible.

Nora stared at her phone screen with a knowing smile. This was the right moment for those two. Barry had let go once and for all (or rather, finally realized that he had let go) and Caitlin, well, she'd finally given in to her true feelings and turned the page to a dark and heavy chapter of her life. "You will be sending this to me later tonight, right sweetie?"

"You bet! And in 4K resolution just for you," Cisco grinned, maybe later he could test his 3D technology too.

Nora couldn't be more ecstatic, "Excellent!" she looked at her husband approaching. "Well, I must get back to a wedding reception, but please don't stop recording on my behalf,"

"You better not Cisco," Felicity warned. This was better than the sappy romantic movies she'd seen with Thea before.

{-}

They were holding hands and smiling happily at each other. Everything was right in the world. Everything was perfect. And then Caitlin remembered something…

"Barry,"

"Hm," he turned to her and they stopped.

She chewed on her bottom lip and Barry began to panic internally. There was no possible way she was having second thoughts, right? RIGHT!?

The three seconds she took to speak were eternal to him, "Did you...uhm…"

"What is it Cait? You can tell me anything, you know that, right?" He said encouragingly.

She looked sideways and then back at him. She couldn't let this thing bother her any longer, "Yesterday I saw you with Iris,"

"Okay,"

"Why did you kiss her?" There, she had asked.

Barry blinked confused. Kissed Iris? He didn't...wait, "Did you see us at the gazebo?"

Caitlin nodded.

So that's why she left! Oh his Caitlin, "No, I didn't,"

"You...didn't? But I thought -"

"You didn't stay for the whole thing did you?"

She couldn't bear to stay for the whole thing, so no, she didn't stay. "Not really,"

"If you had you would have known that we didn't really kiss," they were about to, but it didn't feel right.

"Why?"

"Because we couldn't do that to the people we love,"

{-}

 _They were reminiscing on old days when Iris said softly._

" _This could've been us,"_

 _Barry remained silent, there was a lot of truth to that. But the fact that they weren't the couple about to get married was mostly because of her. And somehow he was coming to accept that reality._

" _I mean these last few days, I…" she wasn't really sure what she wanted to say to him. "You didn't think about it? About us?"_

 _He looked at her intently, "I did," because he would be lying if he said otherwise. It was funny, because he thought that if any of them were to touch on that subject, of, well,_ _ **them**_ _, it would be him. In fact, he came to break up her wedding and yet..._

" _I wonder if maybe…" she took a step closer without breaking eye contact._

 _Barry saw her start to tip toe to reach him and he stood frozen in place. They were close, very, very close but...his heart wasn't beating wildly, he wasn't anxious or expectant. Instead this felt wrong, so very wrong, because Eddie didn't deserve this, but more than Eddie he thought about Caitlin. Caitlin, the girl or rather the woman, that had mended his heart, that had supported him throughout these years. The one that made him laugh, the one he could cry with, the one that was always there with open arms for him. The amazing doctor, that despite her better judgement, used her sacred vacation time to come and help him with his crazy plan. These last few days were clear proof that Caitlin was nothing short than an amazing friend, but more than that he realized that he wanted her to be much more than just his friend._

 _His mind began to replay the last few days in his head and more than him making time to steal Iris away, most of his memories were him having a great time with Caitlin_

 _She was really the one he wanted to be with right this instant._

" _I can't," they both said in unison._

 _The CSI noticed that there was an evident turmoil in Iris' face. She was probably going through a realization just like him. They both took a step away from each other._

" _I love Eddie, he's the man that I want to be with," she said with watery eyes, "but you...I think that I've just felt a lot of guilt and channeled it in this perverse way,"_

" _Guilt?" He wasn't sure he understood what she was trying to say._

 _She nodded, "Barry, when I left...I...I felt horrible for doing that to you," and she really did. They'd been through so much since they were kids, that Barry deserved much more than her hasty goodbye, "and it's not like I didn't love you, because I did, I just…"_

" _You wanted more," he said knowingly. Finally, after eight years, they were talking about it. A conversation that had been way overdue between them._

 _She nodded, "I wanted to create a life for myself with my own expectations and not those of our parents," she let out a few tears and continued, "I wish I would've done things right, and not tried to brush everything under the rug like I did," because she just expected that he be accepting and supporting, just like he'd always been. However, he refused to talk to her for almost three years._

" _I understand," now he did, "If you'd only told me that before…"_

" _I'm sorry, I was young and stupid," and a little selfish at times. "And these last few days felt_ _ **almost**_ _like the old times when it was just you and I against the world,"_

" _Almost?" he wondered._

 _Iris rubbed some tears away, her make up was probably ruined, "Yeah, almost. Because the truth was, that our story was over a long time ago, and both of us have moved on,"_

 _When Iris said moved on, he pondered on whether he had accomplished that and the truth was…_

" _We have," he said as if it was barely dawning on him that he had moved on._

" _You know Bar," she said getting into that easiness with her friend. "Caitlin is a great girl for you,"_

 _He unconsciously smiled at that, "She is, isn't she?"_

" _Yes, she's from you very rare species of adorable nerds,"_

 _They both grinned at each other._

" _You're in the best hands Iris. Eddie loves you a lot, I can see that a mile away," it was evident that the detective only had eyes for the beautiful journalist._

" _We were both lucky that way, huh?" They'd been very blessed to end up with wonderful people._

" _Very much so,"_

 _They looked at each other as if a big weight had been lifted. The awkwardness that was ever present between them, or those uneasy feelings were gone. And now they were both a place where they could see each other as they were now and not the ghost of a relationship past._

 _Iris looked at Barry with a friendly spark and he opened his arms for her. She didn't hesitate to hug him too. After a few moments of comfortable silence Barry took a step back._

" _Iris you will forever be a great friend to me," he turned towards his home, knowing there was somewhere else he needed to be right now, "but there's somewhere I need to go right now,"_

 _Iris winked at him, "Go get her," she needed to catch up with her future husband too. Who said bachelor/bachelorette parties couldn't be done together?_

"So no, we didn't really kiss,"

Phew, that really put her mind and heart at ease. Not that she could fault them if they had, since that was before he told her he loved her, but still. "That's good to know,"

"I didn't know you were the jealous type," he teased.

She smiled playfully, "I'm not. But that doesn't mean I like seeing you kiss other people, much less now that we are…" she trailed off.

"Engaged?" he supplied, always the helpful gentleman.

She blushed lightly, "Well yes,"

He gave her his trademark grin. This was a whole side of her he hadn't yet seen. It made sense considering Caitlin hadn't been in a relationship before, so these things would be foreign to her. The best part though? He could tease her mercilessly. That was what true love was all about anyway. "I'm going to have to come clean to my parents," he said as an afterthought.

"About that…" Caitlin gave Barry an interesting look.

Barry's eyes went wide in realization, "No,"

"Yes,"

"Since when?"

"Well…" she started to adjust his tie, "possibly since the very beginning,"

"You're kidding me," boy was he in trouble.

"I wish I was," Nora knew from the very beginning and it seems Henry wasn't that far off either. She would never try to pull something like this on them again.

"Maybe I shouldn't go back home today," he would avoid _the_ conversation for as long as he could. He looked at her with those adorable green eyes of his, "Perhaps, I could -"

Caitlin gave him a serious look, "I think not,"

"But Cait," he pouted.

"We'll face them together," she said reassuringly while rubbing his shoulder affectionately.

"Can we do that tomorrow?" This was Iris' wedding night after all.

"Of course,"

His eyes shined with appreciation. "Great! So…"

"So?"

"Can I…" he was upping up his charm and got closer to her, carefully setting his hands on her lower back.

Caitlin raised a suspicious brow, "Barry," she started.

"Just tonight," he got dangerously close to her.

She rolled her eyes playfully, "I don't –"

He quickly interrupted her negative with a quick peck.

"Barry you –"

Then another.

"What are –"

And another.

"Stop you cheater," she said with a light smack on his chest.

"Come on Cait,"

"I suppose one night won't hurt," it's not like they haven't done it before in the past. "But there will be clear boundaries,"

"Fine by me," he said with a megawatt smile. He only wanted to remain close to her. After all, this would be their first night as a couple, an engaged one at that.

The thought made him giddy inside.

{-}

 _Fin ?_


End file.
